Title:92 Part:532

The Department shall publish and maintain a manual providing design standards and rules governing the construction and maintenance of mailbox turnouts on highways in the State of Illinois.

Section 532.20 Guidelines

a) The Bureau of Maintenance manual, subject as above, is designated as this Part.

b) The regulations and standards published in this manual govern the construction of mailbox turnouts on State and County highways.

c) The regulations and standards are not applicable to the construction of mailbox turnouts on Road District highways.

Section 532.30 Responsibilities

The Bureau of Maintenance and the Districts are responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of this manual.

Section 532.40 Foreword

a) This manual is developed to provide design standards, guidelines, rules and regulations to accomplish the Department's responsibilities mandated by Section 4-207 of the Illinois Highway Code (Ch. 121, Sec. 4-207), and by Departmental Order 16-8.

b) The primary aim of the manual's provisions is to administer the statutory mandate in a manner that will provide the optimum safety and convenience for the traveling public, the rural mail carriers, and the rural mail route patrons.

c) The provisions of this manual supersede all previously published policies and wherever existing rural mail facilities are not in compliance with the provisions of this manual they shall be brought into compliance as rapidly as practical considerations will permit.

SUBPART B: GENERAL

Section 532.110 Authority

The authority for the Department's administration of a policy for mailbox facilities is contained in Section 4-207 of the Illinois Highway Code (Ch. 121, Sec. 4-207, Ill. Rev. Stat.) which reads as follows:

a) On all State highways the Department shall construct and maintain all-weather surfaces at boxes used for the receipt of United States mail.

b) The Department shall adopt and publish specifications detailing the kind and type of all-weather surface to be constructed and maintained and shall adopt and publish reasonable rules, regulations, and specifications governing the place of erection and maintenance of boxes for the receipt of United States mail on State highways.

c) No person shall erect or maintain a box for the receipt of the United States mail on any highway under the jurisdiction of the Department in violation of the rules, regulations, and specifications, adopted by the Department governing the erection and maintenance of such boxes. Violation of this provision is a petty offense. As amended by act approved Aug. 8, 1972, Effective Jan 1, 1973.

Section 532.120 Statutory Responsibilities

The Illinois Department of Transportation has the responsibility to administer the mailbox turnout mandate in a manner compatible with regulations of the U.S. Postal Service and compatible with Departmental policies.

Section 532.130 Statutory Exceptions

The Illinois Vehicle Code (Ch. 95½, Sec. 11-711, Ill. Rev. Stat.) provides that the Department may prohibit the use of controlled access highways by mail delivery vehicles (among other prohibited usage) picking up or delivering mail. Where such prohibition is in effect, alternate arrangement for mail delivery is necessary.

Section 532.140 Application To Other Highway Systems

County Highway Systems. The Illinois Highway Code in Section 5-411 (Ch. 121, Sec. 5-411m Ill. Rev. Stat.) assigns similar duties and responsibilites regarding mailbox turnouts to County Boards on the County highway systems and makes the rules developed by the Department apply to the County highway system.

SUBPART C: ADMINISTRATION

Section 532.210 Department Responsibilities

The Illinois Department of Transportation has the responsibility to construct and maintain mailbox turnouts at approved locations on State Highways to provide all-weather surfaces and allow the mail carrier's vehicles to clear all or part of the traveled roadway when stopped to service the mailbox.

a) New or Reconstructed Highways

On new, or reconstructed, State highways, the construction of mailbox turnouts shall be an integral part of the design and construction and shall be built in accord with Highway Standard 2171 (Illustration 1) of the Design Manual. When the project design provides adequately stabilized shoulders, of adequate width, no additional mailbox turnouts will be constructed.

b) Existing Highways

1) Existing mailbox turnouts on existing highway shall be maintained as-built in a manner that will provide an all-weather surface as required by statute.

2) Relocated and new turnouts on existing highways shall be constructed in accord with Illustration 1 to the width that existing shoulder width will accommodate.

Section 532.220 Rural Mail Carrier Responsibilities

a) The rural mail carrier has the responsibility (as does every other motorist) to stop in a safe manner and shall not stop his vehicle on the pavement when it is practicable to stop his vehicle off the pavement. The Illinois Vehicle Code (Ch. 95½ Article XIII, Sec. 11-1301) requires that any stopped vehicle shall leave an unobstructed width of highway opposite the standing vehicle for the free passage of other vehicles and that a clear view of such stopped vehicle be available from a distance of 200 feet in each direction.

b) The rural mail carrier is permitted by the Illinois Vehicle Code (Ch. 95½, Sec. 12-214) to equip his vehicle with special flashing amber signal lamps meeting specified requirements which are to be used only to indicate to other traffic that a stop is being made.

Section 532.230 Postal Patron Responsibilities

The postal patron on a State or County highway has the responsibility to erect and maintain his mailbox and its supporting structure in compliance with regulations of the U.S. Postal Service and in compliance with rules of the Illinois Department of Transportation.

SUBPART D: MAILBOX TURNOUTS

Section 532.310 General

Mailbox turnouts are to be located adjacent to the right traffic lane in relation to the established direction of travel of the rural mail carrier. To the extent practical, mailbox turnouts should be located for the convenience of the postal patrons. Mailbox turnouts should be located where a clear sight distance of 200 feet or more from both directions exists or can be provided.

Section 532.320 Location Considerations

a) When practical, mailbox turnouts should be located on the near side, in relation to direction of traffic, from a private entrance or side road to incorporate the entrance or roadway surface into the turnout length.

b) A location that would require or encourage a backing movement by the postal patron or mail carrier should not be considered.

c) Wherever practical, mailboxes should be grouped to minimize the number of stops required to serve the boxes.

d) When adjacent mailboxes are close together, and adequate shoulder width exists, consideration should be given to a continuous surfacing to eliminate as many off-on-movements as possible.

e) Where existing roadway shoulders are of adequate width, and adequately stabilized, no additional turnout surfacing will be provided.

f) The mounting of mailboxes back of barrier curbs which would cause stopping in a traveled lane should be discouraged. Postal authorities and affected postal patrons should develop alternate means of mail delivery.

Section 532.330 Turnout Dimensions

Standard mailbox turnouts will have the dimensions shown on Illustration A with maximum width (up to 8 feet) the roadway shoulder will accommodate.

Section 532.340 Surface Types

a) New or reconstructed highways. On new or reconstructed highway, the surfacing shall be as shown on the project plans.

b) Existing highways. On existing highways, mailbox turnouts shall be surfaced with any of several materials the minimum of which shall consist of granular aggregate of four-inch (4") compacted thickness which will provide the all-weather surface required by statute. Consideration should be given to conformity with other turnouts in the immediate area.

SUBPART E: MAILBOX MOUNTING

Section 532.410 Postal Regulations

a) Postal regulations require that a mailbox be located, whenever possible so that the mail carrier's vehicle is off pavement when serving the box.

b) Postal regulations require that mounting posts be neat, of adequate strength and size, and that the bottom of the mailbox be 38 to 40 inches above street level. (See Illustration B and C)

Section 532.420 Department Regulations

The Department of Transportation requires that mailboxes be mounted so that the face of the mailbox is 6" to 12" outward from the outer edge of the turnout surfacing to allow the full turnout width to be available to the mail carrier's vehicle in clearing the roadway to the extent possible.

SUBPART F: MAINTENANCE OF MAILBOX FACILITIES

Section 532.510 Department Maintenance

a) The responsibility of the Department of Transportation is limited to providing all-weather surfaced turnouts at mailboxes on the State Highway System. This responsibility shall be accomplished by the Highway Maintenance organization of the Division of Highways.

b) The Department's policy on snow removal provides that snow will be removed from mailbox turnouts by State Maintenance forces unless such work interferes with primary snow removal operations.

Section 532.520 Postal Patron Maintenance

a) Postal regulations require that the postal patron maintain his mailbox and mounting structure in good repair. Mail boxes and their supporting structures are the property of the mail route patron and patrons should familiarize themselves with U.S. Postal regulations.

b) Postal regulations require mailbox patrons to remove obstructions including snow that makes delivery difficult. However, State Highway maintenance forces will remove snow from mailbox turnouts under the conditions mentioned in Section 532.510.

Section 532.ILLUSTRATION A Standard Design Mailbox Turnout

Section 532.ILLUSTRATION B Suggested Single Box Mounting