Title
Consider an ordinance repealing Volume II, Chapter 42, Article II, Traffic Regulations, Division 14, Automated Red-Light Enforcement and replacing it with Division 14, Non-Radioactive Hazardous Materials Routes. (First Reading) (Requires Two Readings)
Body
The Texas Transportation Code (§644.202) requires municipalities with populations greater than 850,000 to designate a route or set of routes for commercial motor vehicles transporting Non-Radioactive Hazardous Materials (NRHM) on roads or highways within the municipality’s boundaries and to submit the proposed route(s) to TxDOT for approval. Austin surpassed the population threshold in 2013 and has conducted a study for the routes within and adjacent to their City Limits.
The primary objective of designating a Non-Radioactive Hazardous Materials route is to minimize the potential for incidents and risk of harm to the public, should a truck/vehicle carrying hazardous materials be involved in an incident and the material be released. The designation of a Non-Radioactive Hazardous Materials Route will not remove or prohibit all trucks/vehicles carrying hazardous materials from Travis and Williamson County roadways, as trucks with local business are still permitted to take the safest route available to their local destination.
As certain routes are shared between Austin and other jurisdictions, TxDot and Austin have requested that the City of Round Rock designate SH 45 as a Non-Radioactive Hazardous Materials Route. The proposed ordinance will remove an outdated section of the Code of Ordinances related to Automated Red Light enforcement and replace it with the designation of the NRHM Route on SH 45.