Minnesota would bar silencing railroad crossing bells where warning systems operate

Minnesota's transportation commissioner would not be allowed to order or permit crossing bells to be silenced. The restriction would cover railroad crossings equipped with an active warning system. The restriction would apply despite any conflicting law or rule.

The road provisions would set rules for treating roads as public, counting cartways as access, and appealing town-road damage awards. Public-road status would cover the width actually used, except streets laid out on subdivision maps within cities. Owners or occupants could appeal town-road damage awards. Public-road status would require at least six continuous years of public use and upkeep by a road authority. The section would contain no advance mailed-notice requirement. Cartways established under the two cited state laws would count as another means of access. The appeal bond would need an approved guarantor to cover appeal costs if the award stands. Owners or occupants would have 40 days after the damage award is filed to appeal. They would need to file within ten days to delay the road work.

Transportation officials would put rail-project loan repayments into accounts based on how the projects were funded. The rules would cover loan repayments under the rail service improvement program and money from selling property acquired under the cited rail programs. Repayments from projects financed with state general obligation bonds would go into the rail service improvement account in the bond proceeds fund. Repayments from other projects would go into the rail service improvement account in the special revenue fund. These repayments would be reserved for repairing other rail lines through program contracts.

The airport section would omit the specific permission to continue maintaining the state-owned airport at Pine Creek. The specific permission concerns the state-owned airport at Pine Creek. The section would still give the transportation commissioner general authority to maintain and operate airports.

The proposal would remove the two statutory sections naming and marking the Hiawatha Pioneer Trail routes. The instruction covers the main Hiawatha Pioneer Trail route and its alternate routes.