Bill > S07393

This bill amends the highway law to allow town boards to designate low-volume roads and minimum maintenance roads, expanding the previous law that was limited to a specific town. The bill provides a comprehensive framework for how towns can classify and manage roads with low traffic volumes, typically defined as roads with fewer than 400 daily vehicles. Towns must follow a detailed process that includes consulting with the highway superintendent and planning board, holding public hearings, and providing written notice to property owners. The classification process requires towns to consider factors like traffic volume, vehicle types, and adjacent land uses. Minimum maintenance roads, defined as roads with less than 50 daily vehicles, can provide agricultural or recreational land access but cannot restrict farm operations or block access to year-round residences. Property owners can petition to have a road's minimum maintenance designation reconsidered, and the town board retains the authority to modify or discontinue such designations. The bill also provides clear definitions for different types of low-volume roads, including agricultural land access roads, farm access roads, and recreational land access roads. Importantly, the bill removes the previous limitation that these provisions only applied to a specific designated town, making the road classification process potentially available to towns statewide.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S7393