HJR 22-1002 — Study State And Interstate Highway Vehicle Weight

HOUSESecond JOINTRegular RESOLUTIONSession 22-1002Seventy-third BYREPRESENTATIVE(S)General PicoAssembly andRich,STATE Boesenecker,OF Catlin,COLORADO Exum,ENGROSSED Froelich,LLS Gray,NO. Hooton, Sullivan, Valdez D., Van Winkle, Amabile, Bacon, Baisley, Benavidez, Bernett, Bird, Bockenfeld, Bradfield, Caraveo, Carver, Cutter, Daugherty, Duran, Esgar, Geitner, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Hanks, Herod, Jodeh, Kennedy, Kipp, Larson, Lindsay, Lontine, Luck, Lynch, McCluskie, McCormick, McKean, McLachlan,Mullica,Neville, Ortiz,Pelton,Ransom,Roberts, Sandridge, Sirota, Snyder, Soper, Tipper, Titone, ValdezA., VanBeber, Weissman, Will, Williams, Woodrow, Woog, Young, Garnett;

alsoR22-0080.02 SENATOR(S)HiseyandZenzinger,Jery Coram,Donovan,Payne Scott,x2157 Cooke,HJR22-1002 Fields,HOUSE Gardner,SPONSORSHIP Holbert,Pico Kirkmeyer,and Liston,Rich,Boesenecker, Lundeen,Catlin, Pettersen,Exum, Priola,Froelich, Rankin,Gray, Simpson,Hooton, Smallwood,Sullivan, Sonnenberg,Valdez Winter,D., Woodward.Van Winkle, Amabile, Bacon, Baisley, Benavidez, Bernett, Bird, Bockenfeld, Bradfield, Caraveo, Carver, Cutter, Daugherty, Duran, Esgar, Garnett, Geitner, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Hanks, Herod, Jodeh, Kennedy, Kipp, Larson, Lindsay, Lontine, Luck, Lynch, McCluskie, McCormick, McKean, McLachlan, Mullica, Neville, Ortiz, Pelton, Ransom, Roberts, Sandridge, Sirota, Snyder, Soper, Tipper, Titone, Valdez A., Van Beber, Weissman, Will, Williams, Woodrow, Woog, Young SENATE SPONSORSHIP Hisey and Zenzinger,Coram, Donovan, Scott House Committees Senate Committees Transportation & Local Government HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 22-1002 CONCERNING A REQUEST THAT C ONGRESS ALLOW THE STATE OF C OLORADO TO CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS OF AND POSSIBLY MOVE FORWARD ON HARMONIZING THE GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT FOR TRUCKSONTHE INTERSTATE H IGHWAY S YSTEMIN COLORADO WITH THAT OF OTHER STATE HIGHWAYS .

CONCERNINGWHEREAS,Truckingandtruckdrivershavebeenessentialduring Athe REQUESTCOVID-19 THATpandemic CONGRESSin ALLOWdelivering THEcritical STATEgoods, OFsuch COLORADOas TOfood, CONDUCTfuel, ANmedical ANALYSISsupplies, OFand ANDmuch POSSIBLYmore; MOVE FORWARD ON HARMONIZING THE GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT FOR TRUCKS ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM IN COLORADO WITH THAT OF OTHER STATE HIGHWAYS.

WHEREAS,Truckingandtruckdrivershavebeenessentialduringtheand COVID-19WHEREAS, pandemicTrucking is critical in deliveringthe criticalmovement goods,of suchgoods asand food,products fuel,for medicalagriculture, supplies,ranchers, manufacturers, grocers, and muchfuel more;suppliers,withover80%ofthemanufacturedproductsinColoradobeing moved by truck;

and WHEREAS,g Trucking0 isE criticald in, theS movemente of1 goodsO andl productsr forShading agriculture,denotes ranchers,HOUSE manufacturers,amendment. grocers, and fuel suppliers, with over 80% ofthemanufacturedproducts inColoradobeing moved by truck;

andDouble WHEREAS,underlining 79%denotes oftheSENATE communitiesamendHei inr ColoradoCapital areletters servedor solelybold by& truckitalic fornumbers theirindicate freightnew needs;material to be added to Fxesting statute.

andDashes WHEREAS,through The state's and nation's supply chains have been greatly stressed due to a range of issues that include a truck driver shortage, which is anticipated to continue into the future,words alongindicate withdeletions increasing freight demands from ourgrowingstatethathaveexisting ledtostatute. shortages, delays, and higher prices for the movement of goods within the state;

andF WHEREAS, For79% overof 40the years,communities in Colorado stateare lawserved hassolely authorizedby atruck maximum gross vehicle weight of85,000 pounds for alltheir statefreight highways,needs; with the only exception being the Interstate Highway System;

and WHEREAS, FederallawauthorizesThe amaximumgrossstate's vehicleweightand nation's supply chains have been greatly stressed due to a range of 80,000issues poundsthat forinclude a truck driver shortage, which is anticipated to continue into the Interstatefuture, Highwayalong System;with increasing freight demands from our growing state that have led to shortages,delays,andhigherpricesforthemovementofgoodswithinthe state;

and WHEREAS,WHEREAS,Forover40years,Coloradostatelawhasauthorized Theamaximumgrossvehicleweightof85,000poundsforallstatehighways, differentwith grossthe vehicleonly weightexception standardsbeing between interstate and state highways causes routing issues for the state'sInterstate transportationHighway system;System;

and WHEREAS, TheInterstateHighwaySystemisFederal constructedtolaw ahigherauthorizes designspecificationthanmoststatehighwaysa andshouldbemoremaximum capablegross ofhandlingvehicle higherweight weightsof than80,000 otherpounds statefor highways;the Interstate Highway System;

and WHEREAS,Thedifferentgrossvehicleweightstandardsbetween interstate and state highways causes routing issues for the state's transportation system;

and WHEREAS, The Interstate Highway System is constructed to a higherdesignspecificationthanmoststatehighwaysandshouldbemore capable of handling higher weights than other state highways;

and WHEREAS, During the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Polis, with the support oftheof the United States Department ofTransportation,of Transportation, approved an emergency waiver that temporarily raised the maximum weightweightoftrucksallowedonColoradointerstatehighwaysfrom80,000to of trucks allowed on Colorado interstate highways from 80,000 to 85,000 pounds in order to move essential goods and supplies, and there was no discernible increase in truck accidents on the Interstate Highway System in Colorado;

and WHEREAS,WHEREAS,IncreasingthegrossvehicleweightfortheInterstate Increasing the gross vehicle weight for the Interstate Highway System to match that of other state highways may result in fewer trucks, less vehicle miles traveled, and lower emissions of greenhousegreenhousegases,andthishelpsthestatetomeetitsgreenhouseemission gases, andthis helpsthe stateto meetits greenhouse emission rules and comply with emission standards of the United States -2- 1002 Environmental Protection Agency;

and PAGEWHEREAS,GovernorPolis,theColoradoGeneralAssembly,the 2-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 22-1002 WHEREAS, Governor Polis, the Colorado General Assembly, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the Colorado State Patrol maybemaybebestpositionedtodetermineifitisinthebestinterestsofthestate bestpositionedto determine ifitis inthe bestinterests ofthe state to harmonize the maximum gross vehicle weight for the state's Interstate Highway System with other state highways;

and WHEREAS, A study performed by the Colorado Department of Transportationconsideringsafety,Transportationconsideringsafety,environmental,mobility,andeconomic environmental,mobility, andeconomic factors is the best way to assess the benefits and costs of changing the maximum gross vehicle weight for trucks on Colorado interstate highways;

and WHEREAS, If approved bybythe the United States Congress and if the studystudyfinds findsthatitisinthebestinterestsof thatthe it is inthe best interests ofthe state to raise the maximum grossgrossvehicleweight vehicle weight on the Interstate HighwayHighwaySystemto85,000pounds Systemto 85,000 pounds to harmonize itwithit with other state highways, the state ofColorado,of withtheColorado, with the approval of the General Assembly and the Governor, would move forward with a change to state statute;

now, therefore, BeBeItResolvedbytheHouseofRepresentativesoftheSeventy-third ItGeneralAssemblyoftheStateofColorado,theSenateconcurringherein: Resolved by the House ofRepresentatives ofthe Seventy-third GeneralAssembly oftheState ofColorado, theSenate concurringherein:

(1) That Congress allow the Colorado Department ofTransportationof Transportation to conduct an analysisofincreasingtheanalysis grossof vehicleincreasing weight limit for the Interstategross Highwayvehicle SystemweightlimitfortheInterstateHighwaySysteminColoradotoharmonize in Colorado to harmonize it with other state highways where 85,000 pounds is the maximum weight;

and (2) That if the completed study determines that it is in the best interestsinterestsofColoradotoharmonizetheweightsfortheInterstateHighway ofColoradotoSystemandotherstatehighways,theColoradoGeneralAssemblyandthe harmonizetheweights fortheInterstateHighway Systemandotherstatehighways, the Colorado GeneralAssemblyandthe Governor be permitted by state statute to increase the gross vehicle weight limit to 85,000 pounds for vehicles traveling on the Interstate Highway System in Colorado.

PAGE-3- 3-HOUSE1002 JOINTBeItFurtherResolved,ThatcopiesofthisJointResolutionbesent RESOLUTIONto 22-1002 Be ItFurther ResolThat copies ofthis JointResolution be sentto the President of the United States, the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of Colorado's congressional delegation.

Alec-4- Garnett1002 v enberg SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE PRESIDENT OF OF REPRESENTATIVES THE SENATE ~ ~ ~ Robin Jones Cindi L.

Markwell CHIEF CLERK O THE HOUSE SECRETARY OF OF REPRESENTATIVES THE SENATE PAGE 4-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 22-1002