72-1-217. Department of Transportation study items.
(1) |
The department shall carry out transportation studies described in this section as resources allow. |
Terms Used In Utah Code 72-1-217
- Department: means the Department of Transportation created in Section 72-1-201. See Utah Code 72-1-102
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(2) |
(a) |
The department shall study items related to advanced air mobility as described in this Subsection (2). |
(b) |
The department shall study vertiport locations and infrastructure, including:
(i) |
identification of suitable locations for vertiport infrastructure and parking infrastructure for vertiports in metropolitan areas; |
(ii) |
identification of commuter rail stations that may be suitable for vertiport placement; and |
(iii) |
identification of underutilized parking lots and parking structures for vertiport infrastructure placement. |
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(c) |
The department shall study best practices and implementation of advanced air mobility technologies, including:
(i) |
seeking input through community engagement; |
(ii) |
state and local regulations; |
(iii) |
unmanned aircraft system traffic management; and |
(iv) |
weather reporting and monitoring for advanced air mobility safety. |
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(d) |
The department shall study unmanned aircraft traffic management infrastructure, including:
(i) |
unmanned aircraft system traffic management development, implementation, procedures, policies, and infrastructure; and |
(ii) |
obtaining a full understanding of unmanned aircraft system traffic management, including:
(A) |
designation of airspace for advanced air mobility; |
(B) |
creation of geographic categorical areas; |
(C) |
identifying the appropriate number and location of advanced air mobility sensors; and |
(D) |
other state specific details regarding unmanned aircraft system traffic management. |
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(e) |
The department shall study the creation of an advanced air mobility sandbox, including:
(i) |
potential locations for the sandbox testing area and desirable attributes of a suitable sandbox location; |
(ii) |
requirements to create a geographical advanced air mobility testing area and the parameters for the types of technology that may be utilized in the testing area; and |
(iii) |
testing and studying different types of advanced air mobility transportation of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, including:
(B) |
aerial vehicles that carry cargo, including medical cargo; |
(C) |
commercial aerial vehicles; and |
(D) |
public transportation aerial vehicles. |
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(f) |
On or before September 30, 2023, the department shall provide a report to the Transportation Interim Committee of the department’s findings from the study items described in Subsections (2)(b) through (2)(e). |
(g) |
The department may only use existing funds to cover the expenses incurred from the study of items described in Subsections (2)(b) through (2)(e). |
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Enacted by Chapter 366, 2023 General Session