(WAND) - A bill has been introduced to address the road safety and traffic for Illinois drivers.
This comes following several serious crashes on the I-70 corridor, including a HAZMAT crash on Saturday, September 30 on U.S. Route 40. Five people were killed after a tanker of anhydrous ammonia overturned.
House Bill 4182 creates the Construction Zone Safe Detour Act.
The legislation was filed by State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) and State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Teutopolis).
"The I-70 corridor between Effingham and Terre Haute has been an unmitigated disaster this summer, due to poor planning at the state level, along with navigation services sending people down dangerous routes during closures," Sen. Rose said. "Our goal is to make sure that major projects like this are planned in a safer manner, and that when roads do have to be closed, drivers are following the best and safest detour route possible."
The bill establishes that a company that provides GPS travel services in the State is required to ensure that at least one person is available at all times to receive official requests from emergency services, Illinois State Police, or the Department of Transportation for the purpose of implementing proper detours in the event of construction or emergency.
The bill requires a GPS service provider to upload the detour and routing information provided by emergency services, Illinois State Police, or the Department of Transportation into its navigation system to properly route users of the GPS service provider's systems.
It prohibits the Illinois Department of Transportation from placing a parallel secondary transportation route under construction while a primary route is also under construction, except in cases of emergencies.
In cases of road closures, GPS and navigation service providers will have to use detours provided by IDOT and ISP to make sure the safest detour routes are being sent to drivers in real time.
Providers will have to have someone on duty 24/7 to receive up-to-date detour and routing information and to immediately update the routing in their services.
A GPS service provider that fails to implement proper detour routing on an ongoing and emergency basis may be liable for treble damages under the bill.
IDOT will have to reimburse local governments for damage to local roads caused by detours necessitated by state construction projects under the bill.
IDOT spokesperson Paul Wappel said, “We look forward to reviewing the legislation and continuing to work with the General Assembly and all other stakeholders to help address their questions and concerns. As always, safety is the top priority at IDOT.”
Sen. Rose and Sen. Niemerg are calling for the General Assembly to take up the new bill during the upcoming spring legislative session.
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