HP1320
LD 1831		 Session - 126th Maine Legislature
 
 LR 2822
Item 1
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

An Act To Allow Signs for Areas of Local, Regional and Statewide Interest on the Interstate System

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 23 MRSA §1201,  as amended by PL 2011, c. 610, Pt. C, §1, is repealed.

Sec. 2. 23 MRSA §1912-B,  as amended by PL 2011, c. 344, §30, is further amended to read:

§ 1912-B. Logo signs on the interstate system

Pursuant to rules adopted under this section, the The commissioner may authorize the placement of logo signs within the right-of-way of the interstate system except for that portion owned by the Maine Turnpike Authority. To implement this section, the commissioner shall adopt rules that include provisions that regulate the size, shape and location of logo signs, the application procedure for permission to erect a logo sign, the criteria for selection among applicants, allocation of available logo sign space and fees to produce, place and maintain a logo sign. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. Logo signs for exits on the Maine Turnpike are governed by rules adopted pursuant to section 1965, subsection 1, paragraph U. A logo sign may not be larger than existing service information signs permitted on the interstate highway . Logo signs may be installed only on portions of the interstate highway that are rural in character or on certain connector highways where it is necessary to establish continuity for logo signs erected on the Maine Turnpike. A logo sign and may include only logos for gas, food, lodging, camping and attractions. Applications from at least 3 qualified businesses must be approved before installation of a logo sign panel at an exit. Logos for 2 or more types of service may be displayed on the same sign panel. More than one logo sign panel may be installed at an exit only when 3 or more qualified businesses are available for each of 2 or more types of service. The number of logo sign panels at an exit may not exceed one for each type of service or a total of 5 for all types of services. Rules adopted under this section must regulate the size, shape, manner and location of logo signs and must describe the procedure for applying to the department for permission to erect a logo sign and the criteria used by the department to select among applicants. The commissioner shall establish fees for the production and placement of a logo sign and annual fees to cover the maintenance costs.

The commissioner shall adopt rules to implement this section. Those rules may not be adopted until March 15, 1996. The commissioner shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation in January 1996 on the development of those rules.

Sec. 3. 23 MRSA §1912-C  is enacted to read:

§ 1912-C.  Guide signs on the interstate system

1.  Definitions.   As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
A.  "Advance guide sign" means a sign described in the national standards that identifies the principal destinations and routes served by an exit and the distance to that exit.
B.  "Authority" means the Maine Turnpike Authority.
C.  "College or university" means a nonprofit institution providing postsecondary education.
D.  "Department" means the Department of Transportation.
E.  "Exit directional sign" means an exit sign that repeats the route and destination information that is displayed on an advance guide sign for that exit.
F.  "Interchange guide sign" means an advance guide sign or exit directional sign.
G.  "Military installation" means a facility that is owned by the Federal Government and is operated by a branch of the United States Armed Forces.
H.  "National standard" means the latest version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices approved by the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration in accordance with 23 United States Code and the latest version of the Guidelines for the Selection of Supplemental Guide Signs for Traffic Generators Adjacent to Freeways published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
I.  "Signing agency" means, with respect to signs proposed to be placed along the state-constructed and state-maintained interstate system, the department and, with respect to signs proposed to be placed along the Maine Turnpike, the authority.
J.  "State park" means any area of land or an interest in land, with or without improvements, that is designated as a state park, that is acquired by or under the control of the State and that is managed primarily for public recreation or conservation purposes.
K.  "Supplemental guide sign" means a sign used to provide information regarding destinations accessible from an exit other than places displayed on an interchange guide sign.
L.  "Transportation facility" means a bus, train, air, ship or ferry terminal, a park and ride lot or an intermodal transportation facility.
M.  "Veterans, police or firefighters memorial" means a veterans cemetery or a memorial honoring veterans, firefighters or police officers if the cemetery or memorial is maintained and funded by a state or federal agency.
2.  Authority to place interchange guide signs on the interstate system.   To guide travelers to destinations of local, regional and statewide interest, interchange guide signs and supplemental guide signs may be placed by a signing agency at strategic points on the interstate system beside the traffic lanes approaching an exit if the placement complies with this section and with national standards.
3.  Interchange guide signs.   The following provisions apply to interchange guide signs.
A.  The primary destination displayed on an interchange guide sign must be the municipality in which the exit is located or the street name or route adjacent to the exit, or both.
B.  Unless otherwise allowed by the signing agency, advance guide signs must be placed from 1/2 mile to 2 miles in advance of the exit.
C.  In addition to the primary destination, a secondary destination may be displayed on an interchange guide sign. The secondary destination must be selected by the signing agency in accordance with its judgment of how best to serve travelers and must be one of the following:

(1) The municipality with the largest population within 5 miles of the exit that has a highway that is classified as an arterial or major collector providing a direct connection from the exit to the municipality's population center or business district;

(2) A municipality that is located within 10 miles of the exit, that has a highway that is classified as an arterial or major collector providing a direct connection from the exit to the municipality's population center or business district and that has a population of at least 10,000;

(3) Another municipality that is considered a major destination if its inclusion would benefit travelers; or

(4) A major destination, other than a municipality, that is directly connected to the exit if its inclusion would benefit travelers.

D.  An interchange guide sign may bear the name of a specific destination if the primary purpose of the exit is to provide access to that destination.
4.  Supplemental guide signs.   The purpose of a supplemental guide sign is to provide directional guidance to travelers and not to promote commercial or economic interests. Supplemental guide signs must be limited in number and restricted in location to avoid driver distraction and impairment to traffic.

The following provisions apply to supplemental guide signs.

A.  A supplemental guide sign may be used only if it does not conflict or interfere with required signs or with other permitted signs already in place. Whether sufficient space exists for a supplemental guide sign must be determined by the signing agency with reference to national standards. Supplemental guide signs for municipalities and transportation facilities take precedence over supplemental guide signs for other destinations.
B.  A supplemental guide sign must be located in advance of the exit that provides the most direct or convenient route to the destination, except that the signing agency may allow a different location if there is more than one exit in the municipality or if another location is warranted to facilitate traffic.
C.  A supplemental guide sign for a destination is permitted only if there are sufficient signs off the interstate highway to direct travelers from the interstate highway to the destination with minimal confusion.
D.  A sign for a destination that meets the criteria for logo signs under section 1912-B or in rules adopted pursuant to section 1965, subsection 1, paragraph U is not eligible to be placed as a supplemental guide sign under this section unless that destination's name is readily recognized as the principal attraction in a major recreational area as described in subsection 5, paragraph C and it is necessary to include it on a supplemental guide sign to avoid traveler confusion.
5.  Destinations qualifying for supplemental guide signs.   The following destinations may appear on a supplemental guide sign:
A.  A college or university that:

(1) Is located within 5 miles of an exit and has an enrollment of 300 or more students attending classes on site; or

(2) Has an enrollment of 1,000 or more students attending classes on site;

B.  A national park that:

(1) Is located within 10 miles of an exit and has a minimum annual attendance of 25,000 recorded visitors; or

(2) Is between 10 and 100 miles from an exit and has a minimum annual attendance of 75,000 recorded visitors;

C.  A major recreational area that is a geographic region that is served by a highway that is classified as an arterial or major collector and in which the major municipality or destination is not already identified on an interchange guide sign or supplemental guide sign. The geographic region must:

(1) Contain a beach or lake access that is open to the public, allows swimming for all ages, provides parking for more than 100 vehicles, has rest rooms on or adjacent to the beach or lake access and, with respect to a beach, maintains lifeguards on duty during July and August;

(2) Contain a ski area that is open to the public with a minimum vertical drop of 1,000 feet with 40 or more maintained trails; or

(3) Have generated at least 1% of the State's total sales subject to the taxes under Title 36, section 1811 on the value of liquor sold in licensed establishments as defined in Title 28-A, section 2, subsection 15, prepared food and rental of living quarters in any hotel, rooming house or tourist or trailer camp over the previous 3 years and must offer recreational opportunities of sufficient traffic significance to warrant signs in accordance with criteria developed by the signing agency;

D.  A military installation to which at least 2,000 employees and military personnel are permanently assigned, as long as the distance from the applicable exit to the installation does not exceed one mile for every 200 employees and military personnel permanently assigned to the installation;
E.  A municipality that qualifies for but has not been included on an interchange guide sign;
F.  A state park that:

(1) Is located within 10 miles of an exit and has a minimum annual attendance of 25,000 recorded visitors; or

(2) Is between 10 and 100 miles from an exit and has a minimum annual attendance of 75,000 recorded visitors;

G.  A transportation facility if signs for the facility significantly benefit the transportation system; and
H.  A veterans, police or firefighters memorial that is located within 20 miles of an exit.

Sec. 4. 23 MRSA §1967, sub-§1,  as amended by PL 2007, c. 480, §1, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:

1.  Property of the authority.   All property of the authority and all property held in the name of the State pursuant to the provisions of this chapter are exempt from levy and sale by virtue of any execution, and an execution or other judicial process is not a valid lien upon property of the authority held pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
A.  The authority may not lease, sell or otherwise convey, or allow to be used, any of its real or personal property or easements in that property, franchises, buildings or structures, with access to any part of the turnpike or its approaches, for commercial purposes, except for the following:

(1) Intermodal transportation facilities, kiosks at rest areas, gasoline filling stations, service and repair stations, safety patrol vehicles sponsored or operated by 3rd parties, tourist-oriented retail facilities, state and tri-state lottery ticket agencies, automatic teller machines and restaurants that the authority determines are necessary to service the needs of the traveling public while using the turnpike. The leasehold interests in such intermodal transportation facilities, kiosks, gasoline filling stations, service and repair stations, tourist-oriented retail facilities, state and tri-state lottery ticket agencies, automatic teller machines and restaurants are subject to taxation as provided in section 1971;

(2) Electrical power, telegraph, telephone, communications, water, sewer or pipeline facilities installed or erected by the authority, or permitted to be installed or erected by the authority; and

(3) Signs erected and maintained by the authority, or allowed by the authority to be erected and maintained, in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to section 1965, subsection 1, paragraph U, that contain names, symbols, trademarks, logos or other identifiers of specific commercial enterprises.

As used in this subsection, "tourist-oriented retail facilities" means facilities that promote tourism in this State by selling products that are made or primarily made in this State or to which value is added in this State.

Sec. 5. Implementation. Within a reasonable time after the effective date of this Act, not to exceed 5 years, the Department of Transportation or the Maine Turnpike Authority, as appropriate, shall remove or modify any supplemental guide signs on the interstate system to comply with this Act.

summary

This bill repeals the law mandating signs for specific destinations on the interstate system and enacts provisions governing the placement of supplemental guide signs directing travelers to destinations of local, regional or statewide interest. The bill directs the Department of Transportation and the Maine Turnpike Authority to remove signs from the interstate system if those signs do not comply with the new provisions.

This bill also amends existing law to allow a 3rd party to operate or sponsor a safety patrol service on the Maine Turnpike.

This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation pursuant to Resolve 2013, chapter 14, section 4. The resolve directed the Maine Turnpike Authority and the Department of Transportation to develop a proposed policy and specifications relating to guide signs that will be consistent with national standards. This bill incorporates suggested statutory amendments proposed by the Maine Turnpike Authority in consultation with the Department of Transportation.

The committee has not taken a position on the substance of this bill and by reporting this bill out the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of this bill. The committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose of turning the proposal into a printed bill that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course. The committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the proposal received from the Maine Turnpike Authority and the Department of Transportation.

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