On February 18, 2015, Representative Jerry Costello introduced House Bill 2580. While it is currently assigned for initial review in the Illinois House of Representatives' Rules Committee, this bill will be an important one to watch.

If enacted into law, the Bill prohibits a highway commissioner from closing, vacating, or reducing weight limits on any roads under his or her control without the prior, written approval of their county highway engineer and any elected board related to that road district.

This Bill (again, if made a law) would take a significant amount of power away from Highway Commissioners, and would not greatly increase the rights of the public against the above actions. For example, parties can appeal a Highway Commissioner's decision to vacate a road to the county engineer under existing law. Secondly, we already recommend highway commissioners work in close consultation with engineers regarding permanent weight restrictions before they are put in place.