A5513

An Act requiring the Department of Transportation to conduct a study and issue a report on the use of plastic roads.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Commissioner of Transportation shall conduct a study on the use of roads constructed out of plastic materials for use in this State and shall prepare and submit a written report, within one year of the effective date of this act, to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) information on the feasibility of installation of roads constructed out of prefabricated plastic materials and roads constructed out of mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials on roads including, but not limited to, the necessary conditions for the installation of each type of road, the direct and indirect costs of construction for each type of road, and the direct and indirect costs of maintenance of each type of road;

(2) information on the effectiveness of roads constructed out of prefabricated plastic materials and roads constructed out of mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials on roads in this State including, but not limited to, the amount of years of the useful life of each type of road, the length of time between the required maintenance of each type of road, length of time between the required replacement of each type of road, and ability of each type of road to withstand conditions that exist on roads in this State; and

(3) an analysis of the feasibility and effectiveness of roads constructed out of prefabricated plastic materials and roads constructed out of mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials on roads in comparison to the cost of construction and maintenance of roads constructed out the mixed-aggregate asphalt traditionally used by the Department of Transportation, including the advantages and disadvantages of each type of road.

b. In addition to the written report submitted pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the Commissioner of Transportation may submit a proposal for legislation that, in the opinion of the commissioner, improves the laws of this State regarding the use of roads constructed out of or containing plastic materials.

2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission of the written report to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to section 1 of this act.

STATEMENT

The bill requires the Commissioner of Transportation (commissioner) to conduct a study and issue a report on the use of roads constructed out of plastic materials for use in this State. The report is to concern roads constructed out of prefabricated plastic materials and roads constructed out of mix-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials and include, but not limited to, the following:

(1) information on the feasibility of installation of each type of road including, but not limited to, the necessary conditions for the installation of each type of road, the direct and indirect costs of construction for each type of road, and the direct and indirect costs of maintenance of each type of road;

(2) information on the effectiveness of each type of road including, but not limited to, the amount of years of the useful life of each type of road, the length of time between the required maintenance of each type of road, length of time between the required replacement of each type of road, and ability of each type of road to withstand conditions that exist on roads in this State; and

(3) an analysis of the feasibility and effectiveness of each type of road in comparison to the cost of construction and maintenance of the type of road traditionally used by the Department of Transportation, including the advantages and disadvantages of each type of road.

The bill requires the commissioner to prepare and submit the report, within one year of the effective date of the bill, to the Governor and to the Legislature. In addition to the report, the commissioner may submit a proposal for legislation that, in the opinion of the commissioner, improves the laws of this State regarding the use of roads constructed out of plastic materials.