A. All consulting engineering contracts for services referred to in this act may be reviewed by the Department of Transportation except those contracts entered into pursuant to the provisions of Section 687.1 of this title or by the county or circuit engineer. The Department, county or circuit engineer shall make findings on all contracts reviewed that the cost is reasonable and the firm involved is capable of performing the service within a reasonable period of time.
B. Expenditures which may be allowed pursuant to the provisions of this act shall include the following:
1. The cost of county bridge inspections, classifications, and evaluations, and county road inspections, classifications and evaluations for federal and state purposes and to match federal or state funds, provided the applicable federal or state funds are available;
2. Project engineering costs;
3. The cost of rights-of-way acquired for projects pursuant to the provisions of this act and the cost of the relocation of utilities from the rights-of-way so acquired;
4. The cost of reconstruction or replacement of roadway structures which may be less than twenty (20) feet in length;
5. Any cost or expense for administration, program management, engineering, including the development of appropriate local road standards which shall apply only to those roads reconstructed, maintained, or otherwise constructed pursuant to this act, or construction supervision necessarily incurred by the Department of Transportation or Circuit Engineering Districts in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities pursuant to this act;
6. Any cost or expense related to a comprehensive plan for signing or inventory of signs on the county road system;
7. The expense and related costs of employing an engineer to assist a county or counties in carrying out the daily operations of road and bridge maintenance and construction, including the employment of a circuit engineer; and
8. All costs associated with constructing a bituminous surface treatment or gravel roadway.
Added by Laws 1980, c. 349, § 14, emerg. eff. June 25, 1980. Amended by Laws 1995, c. 25, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 1995; Laws 1997, c. 284, § 25, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 2010, c. 256, § 10, eff. July 1, 2010.