In the event of an emergency, an unpaved highway within the secondary state highway system shall be paved only if the following procedures are satisfied:
1. The Commissioner of Highways shall consider the following factors in determining whether the unpaved secondary highway, as the result of an emergency, shall be paved: (i) the safety of the secondary highway in its current condition; (ii) the feasibility of restoring the unpaved highway to its functional level prior to the emergency; (iii) the concerns of the citizens in the locality wherein the affected highway is located, particularly those persons who own land adjacent to such highway; (iv) the concerns of the governing body of the locality affected; and (v) the historical and aesthetic significance of the unpaved secondary highway and its surroundings.
2. The Commissioner of Highways shall provide notice of the intended paving to the governing body of the locality where the affected highway or portion thereof is located. The Commissioner shall provide such notice following his decision to pave the unpaved secondary highway within the locality affected.
3. The local governing body's concurrence or other recommendation regarding the proposed paving shall be forwarded to the Commissioner of Highways within 72 hours following the receipt of the Commissioner's notice.
1996, c. 923, § 33.1-70.2; 2011, c. 400; 2014, c. 805.