*EH1507.1*
March 12, 2025
ENGROSSED
HOUSE BILL No. 1507
_____
DIGEST OF HB 1507 (Updated March 11, 2025 10:39 am - DI 140)
Citations Affected: IC 8-14; IC 8-23; IC 36-9.
Synopsis: Low water crossings. Authorizes a local county road and
bridge board to undertake low water crossing projects. Requires the
commissioner of the department of transportation (department) to
ensure that the department makes information available to county
boards of commissioners and county highway departments about
funding from federal and private sources that might be available to the
counties for low water crossing projects. Amends the law on the local
road and bridge matching grant fund: (1) to allow grants to local units
to be used for low water crossing projects; and (2) to provide that funds
allocated for grants to local units having a population of less than
50,000 can be used to make grants to counties below the population
limit as well as to municipalities located in counties that are below the
population limit.
Effective: July 1, 2025.
Patterson, Zimmerman, Criswell,
Bascom
(SENATE SPONSOR — RAATZ)
January 21, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Roads and Transportation.
January 27, 2025, reported — Do Pass.
January 29, 2025, read second time, ordered engrossed.
January 30, 2025, engrossed. Read third time, passed. Yeas 91, nays 0.
SENATE ACTION
February 19, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Homeland Security and
Transportation.
March 11, 2025, reported favorably — Do Pass; reassigned to Committee on
Appropriations.
EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 March 12, 2025
First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
ENGROSSED
HOUSE BILL No. 1507
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
transportation.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
1 SECTION 1. IC 8-14-9-2.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
2 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
3 1, 2025]: Sec. 2.5. (a) As used in this chapter, "low water crossing"
4 means a public road waterway crossing:
5 (1) other than a bridge where construction improvements
6 have been made in the stream, river, or lake bed to provide a
7 firm surface for vehicles to travel across the water course;
8 and
9 (2) that is designed and constructed to be passable to traffic
10 most of the year during periods of ordinary stream flow but
11 are impassable to traffic during periods of high water.
12 (b) As used in this chapter, "low water crossing project" means
13 a project that may consist of one (1) or more of the following:
14 (1) Installing appropriate road signs to warn vehicle drivers
15 as they approach a low water crossing.
16 (2) Replacing damaged, undersized, perched, and blocked
17 road structures in a low water crossing with structures that
EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 2
1 will accommodate a greater quantity of stream flow under the
2 road.
3 (3) Replacing a low water crossing with a bridge.
4 SECTION 2. IC 8-14-9-5 IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS
5 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 5. (a) Whenever the local county
6 road and bridge board determines that it is necessary for the general
7 welfare of the persons residing within the local county road and bridge
8 district and that it will be of public utility and benefit to the property in
9 the district to carry out:
10 (1) a project of construction, reconstruction, or operation:
11 (A) of roads; or
12 (B) of bridges; or
13 (C) of both roads and bridges; or
14 (2) a low water crossing project;
15 within the district, the board shall adopt a resolution stating the
16 necessity of the project and the intent of the district to proceed with the
17 project.
18 (b) As a part of the resolution, the local county road and bridge
19 board shall:
20 (1) adopt preliminary or final plans and specifications for the
21 entire project; and
22 (2) determine the estimated cost of all work and all acquisitions
23 necessary to carry out the project.
24 SECTION 3. IC 8-23-23-6 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
25 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
26 1, 2025]: Sec. 6. The commissioner shall ensure that the department
27 makes information available to county boards of commissioners
28 and county highway departments about funding from federal and
29 private sources that might be available to the counties for projects
30 involving the reconstruction or replacement of low water crossings
31 (as defined in IC 8-23-30-1(d)), including the following:
32 (1) The federal Surface Transportation Block Grant Program
33 (23 U.S.C. 133).
34 (2) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
35 SECTION 4. IC 8-23-30-1, AS ADDED BY P.L.146-2016,
36 SECTION 16, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
37 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 1. (a) The following definitions apply throughout
38 As used in this chapter, (1) "eligible project" means either of the
39 following:
40 (1) A project:
41 (A) that is undertaken by a local unit;
42 (B) that repairs or increases the capacity of local roads and
EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 3
1 bridges; and
2 (C) that is part of the local unit's transportation asset
3 management plan.
4 (2) A project that:
5 (A) is undertaken by a local unit; and
6 (B) reduces the risk to human life from low water
7 crossings.
8 (2) (b) As used in this chapter, "fund" refers to the local road and
9 bridge matching grant fund established by section 2 of this chapter.
10 (3) (c) As used in this chapter, "local unit" means a county or
11 municipality.
12 (d) As used in this chapter, "low water crossing" means a public
13 road waterway crossing:
14 (1) other than a bridge where construction improvements
15 have been made in the stream, river, or lake bed to provide a
16 firm surface for vehicles to travel across the water course;
17 and
18 (2) that is designed and constructed to be passable to traffic
19 most of the year during periods of ordinary stream flow but
20 are impassable to traffic during periods of high water.
21 (4) (e) As used in this chapter, "transportation asset management
22 plan" includes planning for drainage systems and rights-of-way that
23 affect transportation assets.
24 SECTION 5. IC 8-23-30-1.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
25 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
26 1, 2025]: Sec. 1.5. A project described in section 1(a)(2) of this
27 chapter may consist of one (1) or more of the following:
28 (1) Installing appropriate road signs to warn vehicle drivers
29 as they approach low water crossings.
30 (2) Replacing damaged, undersized, perched, and blocked
31 road structures with structures that will accommodate a
32 greater quantity of stream flow under the road.
33 (3) Replacing low water crossings with bridges.
34 SECTION 6. IC 8-23-30-5, AS ADDED BY P.L.146-2016,
35 SECTION 16, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
36 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 5. In the evaluation of an application for a grant
37 applications for grants from the fund for projects described in
38 section 1(a) of this chapter, the department shall give preference to
39 projects that are anticipated by the department to have the greatest
40 regional economic significance for the region in which the local unit is
41 located.
42 SECTION 7. IC 8-23-30-7, AS AMENDED BY P.L.218-2017,
EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 4
1 SECTION 82, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
2 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 7. The department shall allocate at least fifty
3 percent (50%) of the amount available to the department to make
4 grants in a state fiscal year to:
5 (1) local units that are counties having a population of less
6 than fifty thousand (50,000); and
7 (2) local units that are municipalities located in counties having
8 a population of less than fifty thousand (50,000).
9 SECTION 8. IC 36-9-42.2-4.5, AS ADDED BY P.L.218-2017,
10 SECTION 96, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
11 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 4.5. As used in this chapter, "transportation asset
12 management plan" has the meaning set forth in IC 8-23-30-1(4).
13 IC 8-23-30-1(e).
EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 5
COMMITTEE REPORT
Mr. Speaker: Your Committee on Roads and Transportation, to
which was referred House Bill 1507, has had the same under
consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the House with
the recommendation that said bill do pass.
(Reference is to HB 1507 as introduced.)
PRESSEL
Committee Vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0
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COMMITTEE REPORT
Mr. President: The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Transportation, to which was referred House Bill No. 1507, has had the
same under consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the
Senate with the recommendation that said bill DO PASS and be
reassigned to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
(Reference is to HB 1507 as printed January 27, 2025.)
CRIDER, Chairperson
Committee Vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0
EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137