SECTION 84 - U120 - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

84.1. (DOT: Expenditure Authority Limitation) The Department of Transportation is hereby authorized to expend all cash balances brought forward from the previous year and all income including all federal funds, unexpended general funds and proceeds from bond sales accruing to the Department of Transportation, but in no case shall the expenditures of the Department of Transportation exceed the amount of cash balances brought forward from the preceding year plus the amount of all income including federal funds, general funds and proceeds from bond sales.

84.2. (DOT: Special Fund Authorization) The Department of Transportation with the approval of the State Treasurer, is hereby authorized to set up with the State Treasurer such special funds out of the Department of Transportation funds as may be deemed advisable for proper accounting purposes.

84.3. (DOT: Secure Bonds & Insurance) The Department of Transportation is hereby authorized to secure bonds and insurance covering such activities of the department as may be deemed proper and advisable, due consideration being given to the security offered and the service of claims.

84.4. (DOT: Benefits) Employees of the Department of Transportation shall receive equal compensation increases, health insurance benefits and employee bonuses provided in this act for employees of the State generally. The amount will be funded from Department of Transportation funding sources.

84.5. (DOT: Document Fees) The Department of Transportation is hereby authorized to establish an appropriate schedule of fees to be charged for copies of records, lists, bidders proposals, plans, maps, etc. based upon approximate actual costs and handling costs of producing such copies, lists, bidders proposals, plans, maps, etc.

84.6. (DOT: Meals in Emergency Operations) The Department of Transportation may provide meals to employees of the department who are not permitted to leave assigned duty stations and are required to work during deployment, emergency simulation exercises, and when the Governor declares a state of emergency.

84.7. (DOT: Rest Area Water Rates) For the current fiscal year, rest areas of the Department of Transportation shall be charged in-district water rates by providers of water and sewer services, unless the rate currently charged by the provider is less than in-district rates.

84.8. (DOT: Shop Road Farmers Market Bypass Carry Forward) Unexpended funds appropriated for the Shop Road Farmers Market Bypass may be carried forward into the current fiscal year and expended for the matching requirement for the widening and expansion of Leesburg Road from Fairmont to Wildcat Road (Lower Richland roads-Phase I).

84.9. (DOT: Tree Removal) The Department of Transportation is prohibited from using funds authorized by this act for clear cutting, or other similar activities, in the median of Interstate 26 from approximately mile marker 170 to approximately mile marker 199 between Summerville and Interstate 95, except for the following mile marker locations: 170 to 171, 175 to 176, 182 to 183, 187 to 191, and 193 to 199.

84.10. (DOT: Hanahan Permit Application) With the funds authorized for the Department of Transportation, the department shall coordinate and facilitate negotiations between the City of Hanahan, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, CSX Railroad, and other applicable entities for the necessary permit required to complete the Railroad Avenue Extension project in the City of Hanahan. The department shall submit any and all necessary applications for the required permit on behalf of the applicable entities no later than June 30, 2016.

84.11. (DOT: Bridge Replacement in McCormick County) Planning and construction on a new U.S. 378 bridge crossing Lake J. Strom Thurmond must provide for and allow McCormick County to affix water lines to the new bridge just as the water lines are affixed to the existing bridge. McCormick County shall bear the cost of affixing the water lines to the new bridge.

84.12. (DOT: Project Priority List) From the funds appropriated to the department, the Department of Transportation Commission project priority lists, as required under Act 114 of 2007, shall be published in a conspicuous place on the departments website in a manner easily accessible to the public. The priority lists shall be accompanied by the associated engineering directives explaining the ranking process and methodology for applying the commission approved criteria.

84.13. (DOT: Sunset Suspended) The provisions of Section 6 of Act 114 of 2007 are suspended for the current fiscal year.

84.14. (DOT: CTC Road Program) The Department of Transportation shall distribute the $70,499,995 appropriated for the County Transportation Committee Road Program pursuant to Section 12-28-2740 of the 1976 Code. County Transportation Committees shall utilize the funds distributed pursuant to this proviso solely for use on the state-owned secondary road system for paving, rehabilitation, resurfacing, and/or reconstruction, and bridge repair, replacement, or reconstruction. No funds from this allocation shall be used for any road, bridge, or highway that is not part of the state-owned system.

Unexpended funds appropriated pursuant to this provision may be carried forward to succeeding fiscal years and expended for the same purposes.

84.15. (DOT: CTC Project Expansion) Of the funds distributed to County Transportation Committees (CTC), no more than twenty percent may be utilized for ancillary initiatives that improve the areas adjacent to roads under their jurisdiction for economic development or safety purposes. Ancillary initiatives may include, but are not limited to, drainage improvements, signage, lighting, sidewalks and other safety or economic-development related projects. If a CTC expends funds pursuant to this provision, the CTC must document the anticipated results on economic development or safety relative to the project.

84.16. (DOT: General Fund Balance Carry Forward) The Department of Transportation may carry forward any unexpended general fund balance from the prior fiscal year and expend those funds in the current fiscal year.

84.17. (DOT: Reimbursement for Vehicle Damage) Of the funds appropriated to the Department of Transportation, the department must develop direct internet access from the department's home page to any document or claim form that may be used by the public to seek reimbursement for vehicle damages caused by poor road conditions. The department must post a link to the documents or claim forms on the department's home page in a prominent, easily viewed location.

84.18. (DOT: Pothole Busters) The Department of Transportation shall assemble in each transportation maintenance district Pothole Suppression Teams whose primary responsibility shall be to identify and fill in potholes and perform associated minor maintenance throughout the maintenance district. Each District Engineer must report quarterly to the Secretary of Transportation on the progress of the Pothole Suppression Teams within his district. The report must contain information related to the number and location of potholes filled and associated minor maintenance. The Secretary must make those reports available to the public on the department's website.

To implement the provisions of this proviso, the Secretary of Transportation shall consult with the Director of the Department of Corrections and the local sheriff's department to determine the feasibility of engaging appropriate inmates to perform pothole suppression and associated minor maintenance. To the extent feasible, and upon the agreement of the Secretary of Transportation, the Director of the Department of Corrections, and the local sheriff, appropriate inmates shall be engaged for pothole suppression and associated minor maintenance.