Roads Act, 1993

Approval by Minister of toll schemes.

58.—(1) (a) A road authority shall submit to the Minister for his approval a toll scheme made by it.

(b) Before submitting a toll scheme to the Minister a road authority shall publish in one or more newspapers circulating in the area where the proposed toll road is located or is to be located a notice—

(i) stating that a toll scheme has been made,

(ii) indicating the times at which, the period (which shall be not less than one month) during which and the place where a copy of the scheme and any map referred to therein and the explanatory statement relating to the scheme may be inspected, and

(iii) stating that objections to the toll scheme may be made in writing to the Minister before a specified date (which shall be not less than two weeks after the end of the period for inspection referred to in subparagraph (ii)).

(2) (a) The Minister may, by order, approve a toll scheme with or without modifications or he may refuse to approve it.

(b) If an objection to a toll scheme is made in writing to the Minister and the objection is not withdrawn the Minister shall, before deciding whether to approve the scheme or not, cause a public local inquiry into the scheme and into such objection to be held and shall consider the report of the person conducting the inquiry and any recommendation made by him.

(c) Where a public local inquiry into a toll scheme is to be held and a local inquiry in relation to a bridge order under section 47 of the Act of 1946, or a public local inquiry under section 49 of this Act relating wholly or partly to the toll road concerned or a public local inquiry into the compulsory acquisition of land for the purposes of such scheme or such toll road, is to be held, the public local inquiry into the toll scheme shall not be held before the holding of the other inquiry or inquiries but may be held at the same time as such other inquiry or inquiries.

(3) (a) A toll scheme approved by the Minister under this section shall come into force with the modifications, if any, therein made by the Minister on such day as may be determined by the road authority.

(b) Notice of the day on which a toll scheme is to come into force shall be published by the road authority at least one month before such day in one or more newspapers circulating in the area in which the toll road to which the scheme relates is located or will be located.