28-363

28-363. Duties of the director;
administration

A. The director shall:

1. Supervise and administer the overall activities of the department and its
divisions and employees.

2. Appoint assistant directors for each of the divisions.

3. Provide for the assembly and distribution of information to the public
concerning department activities.

4. Delegate functions, duties or powers as the director deems necessary to carry
out the efficient operation of the department.

5. Exercise complete and exclusive operational control and jurisdiction over the
use of state highways and routes.

6. Coordinate the design, right-of-way purchase and construction of controlled
access highways that are either state routes or state highways and related grade
separations of controlled access highways.

7. Coordinate the design, right-of-way purchase, construction, standard and reduced
clearance grade separation, extension and widening of arterial streets and highways under
chapters 17 and 18 of this title.

8. Assist regional transportation planning agencies, councils of government, tribal
governments, counties, cities and towns in the development of their regional and local
transportation plans to ensure that the streets, highways and other regionally
significant modes of transportation within each county form an integrated and efficient
regional system.

9. On or before December 1, present an annual report to the speaker of the house of
representatives and the president of the senate documenting the expenditures of monies
under chapters 17 and 18 of this title during the previous fiscal year relating to the
design, right-of-way purchase or construction of controlled access highways that are
accepted in the state highway system as state routes or state highways or related grade
separations of controlled access highways that are included in the regional
transportation plans of the counties.

10. Designate the necessary agencies for enforcing the provisions of the laws the
director administers or enforces.

11. Exercise other duties or powers as the director deems necessary to carry out the
efficient operation of the department.

12. Cooperate with the Arizona-Mexico commission in the governor's office and with
researchers at universities in this state to collect data and conduct projects in the
United States and Mexico on issues that are within the scope of the department's duties
and that relate to quality of life, trade and economic development in this state in a
manner that will help the Arizona-Mexico commission to assess and enhance the economic
competitiveness of this state and of the Arizona-Mexico region.

13. Develop a plan to increase use of bypass routes by vehicles on days of poor
visibility in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

B. The assistant directors appointed pursuant to subsection A are exempt from the
state personnel system.

C. The director shall not spend any monies, adopt any rules or implement any
policies or programs to convert signs to the metric system or to require the use of the
metric system with respect to designing or preparing plans, specifications, estimates or
other documents for any highway project before the conversion or use is required by
federal law, except that the director may:

1. Spend monies and require the use of the metric system with respect to designing
or preparing plans, specifications, estimates or other documents for a highway project
that is awarded before October 1, 1997 and that is exclusively metric from its inception.

2. Prepare for conversion to and use of the metric system not more than six months
before the conversion or use is required by federal law.