MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2014 Regular Session

To: Highways and Transportation; Appropriations

By: Senator(s) Wilemon

Senate Bill 2495

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 65-37-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REMOVE THE RESTRICTION ON USE OF LOCAL SYSTEM BRIDGE REPLACEMENT AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM FUNDS ON STATE AID ROADS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

     SECTION 1.  Section 65-37-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

     65-37-1.  (1)  There is established a local system bridge replacement and rehabilitation program to be administered by the State Aid Engineer for the purpose of assisting counties and municipalities in the replacement and rehabilitation of certain bridges located on local road systems and state aid roads as defined in Section 65-9-1 in the counties and in incorporated municipalities within the counties. In order to be eligible under this program, a bridge must be eligible for replacement or rehabilitation as determined by the National Bridge Inspection Standards sufficiency rating and must be included on the latest annual official bridge inventory maintained by the Office of State Aid Road Construction, excluding bridge inventories on the State Aid Road System, the municipal urban system or the rural major collector system.

     (2)  In the replacement or rehabilitation of bridges pursuant to this chapter, consideration may be given to utilizing timber products on some projects, provided that such projects using timber products will be comparable in cost to, and can be constructed to meet current standards for, similar projects using concrete and steel.

 * * * (3)  The provisions of this chapter shall not be construed to permit routes on which projects are performed under this chapter to be eligible for inclusion on the state aid system except in accordance with the provisions of Sections 65-9-1 et seq.

     SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2014.

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