2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-TWO - Public Works (§§ 1 — 1104) › Chapter 1 - Public Works Projects; Acquisition of Property (§§ 1 — 32) › § 31f - Luis Muñoz Marín Scenic Route—Road Keeper Corps

(a) The Road Keeper Corps of the Luis Muñoz Marín Scenic Route, hereinafter “the Corps”, is hereby created, attached to the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority, whose responsibility shall be the maintenance of the Scenic Route and the conservation and protection of the natural, historic, cultural, recreational, archaeological and scenic attractions of the Luis Muñoz Marín Scenic Route and to oversee and ensure compliance with the provisions §§ 971 et seq. of Title 10, known as the “Junkyard Act”, §§ 51 et seq. of Title 9, known as the “Uniform Signs and Advertisements Act of Puerto Rico of 1999”, and §§ 1401 et seq. of Title 33, which penalizes the dumping of waste in public or private places.
For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the meaning stated hereinbelow:
(1) Vigilance. — Shall mean to act, care, inspect, observe, hold custody, protect and defend.
(2) Conservation. — Shall mean the maintenance, protection, defense, custody, guarding and control of the resources and attractions of the Luis Muñoz Marín Scenic Route.
(b) The Corps shall have the following duties:
(1) The Corps shall oversee the good condition of the thoroughfare and the good condition and appearance of the areas adjacent to the thoroughfare, in other words, the road shoulders and the sidewalks. The Corps shall offer the required maintenance, for which it shall have the machinery, materials and equipment necessary.
(3) The Corps shall oversee the good condition and appearance of the private areas adjacent to the thoroughfare.
(4) The Corps shall oversee the adequate disposal and placement of domestic waste. It shall oversee the adequate waste collection services. It shall oversee and coordinate the collection and disposal of domestic, commercial or industrial non-biodegradable waste. It shall be provided with the resources for the collection of waste material that is not collected, or whose collection cannot be coordinated with a private entity or the municipality.
(5) The Corps shall oversee the good condition and appearance of the public and private green areas. It shall give maintenance to the public and private green areas and maintain their good appearance and condition using native species of plants and trees and utilizing beneficial practices with the native species, without using any environmental pollutants.
(6) The Corps shall coordinate with the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, the special communities, municipalities or private institutions or entities, the implementation of community awareness and education programs geared toward changing behavioral patterns and modes and the development of appreciation of the Scenic Route, the natural, cultural or historic resources, related thereto and the landscape resource as an expression resulting from the integration and interaction of the aforementioned natural, social, cultural, and historic elements.
(7) The Corps shall coordinate reforestation programs, the development of horticulture and the maintenance of the natural areas immediately adjacent to the Scenic Route and its main access roads or within the visual reach of its landscape with the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Department of Agriculture, or private institutions or entities.
(8) The Corps shall be the enabling resource for the communities. To achieve its objectives, it shall seek to establish communication and good relations with the community, community organizations and with non-government organizations. The Corps shall strive to be a resource to obtain educational materials, resources and materials for reforestation, horticulture and maintenance of the green areas, and a resource for the coordination of services for the collection of waste of difficult disposal and of all related services for compliance with the purposes of §§ 31-31g of this title.
(9) The Corps, in coordination and cooperation with the Rangers Corps of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Puerto Rico Police, shall oversee compliance with the aforementioned laws. If necessary, the Corps shall report violations thereof to the Rangers Corps and shall be recourse for the execution of the corresponding actions.
(c) The Executive Director of the Highway and Transportation Authority is hereby authorized to establish by regulation the organization and administration of the Corps, and the duties, responsibilities and any other matter necessary for the operations thereof. The members of the Corps shall be subject to the provisions of Act No. 5 of October 14, 1975, as amended, known as the “Public Service Personnel Act”.
Furthermore, it shall solicit and administer the necessary funds in order to achieve the effective operations of the Corps in accordance with the provisions herein and shall determine, by means of regulations, the clothing that shall constitute the official uniform of the Corps and the equipment destined thereto.
The use of the uniform, or any accessory thereof, by any person who is not a member of the Corps is hereby prohibited. Any person who violates the prohibition set forth herein shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisonment for a term of not more than six (6) months.
(d) For purposes of achieving the goals for which this Corps is created, the Executive Director of the Highway and Transportation Authority shall carry out the necessary coordination with the related federal and state agencies for the effective conservation and protection of the landscape, lands and properties located along the Luis Muñoz Marín Scenic Route.
The Executive Director of the Highway and Transportation Authority is hereby authorized to adopt the necessary regulations for the implementation of this Section, pursuant to the provisions of §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”.
(e) The Executive Director of the Highway and Transportation Authority shall be authorized to accept financial assistance of any sort, including donations, whether in cash, technical services or equipment, originating from private individuals or entities, nonprofit institutions, the Government of the United States of America, the individual states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any government instrumentality, agency, or subdivision, for the purpose of achieving the objectives of §§ 31-31g of this title.
The Executive Director of the Highway and Transportation Authority may also enter into any type of agreement or contract with natural or juridical persons, public or private, and with federal, state or municipal agencies and entities, under the terms and conditions he/she deems necessary and convenient for the better application of §§ 31-31g of this title and the achievement of the purposes herein.
History —June 23, 1965, No. 71, p. 148, added as § 6-A on Sept. 29, 2004, No. 496, § 6.