1. A. The program and funds shall be administered by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation under a minimum of policies, guidelines and engineering design standards. Approved projects will be awarded to contractors by the State Transportation Commission or by other federal or state agencies under their normal competitive bidding procedures, excluding prequalification of bidders. Force account road or bridge projects may be approved for a county by the Transportation Commission. No county bridge project in excess of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) or any county road project in excess of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00), in cost may be done by the force account method. B. Funds available for the County Bridge and Road Improvement Act shall not be subject to fiscal year limitations and shall be available for encumbrance and expenditure purposes for a period of thirty (30) months from the effective date such funds are appropriated. C. In order to build a force account bridge, as set forth in subsection E of this section, a county shall have sufficient funds in the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund to pay the reimbursement request cost. When a county determines to build a bridge in accordance with this section, the board of county commissioners shall submit a resolution to the Department of Transportation which shall include the following information: 1. Location of the bridge and the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) number, if there is a bridge at that location which has an NBI number; 2. The amount of funds the county will request as reimbursement; 3. The date on which the county would expect to begin construction; and 4. The date on which the county would expect the project to be complete. D. When a county has completed the force account bridge project, the board of county commissioners may submit a resolution to the Department of Transportation requesting payment in the amount of the reimbursement request. the resolution requesting reimbursement shall certify compliance with the criteria set forth in subsection E of this section, and all documentation necessary to confirm compliance to the criteria shall be submitted with the resolution requesting reimbursement. Upon a determination by the Department of Transportation that the county has complied with the criteria set forth in subsection E of this section, the Department of Transportation shall process the county claim for payment. E. County force account bridges eligible for reimbursement from the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund shall meet or exceed the following criteria: 1. A registered professional engineer shall provide plans in the form of field notes, which have been stamped and signed, which provide the basic structural requirements to achieve a load rating of H. twenty (20) tons or greater. Field notes must be handwritten specifications of sketches; 2. The finished bridge shall achieve a twenty-ton or greater rating. The rating criteria shall be determined by the National Bridge Inventory and approved by the Department of Transportation for bridges twenty (20) feet or more in length; 3. The subsurface foundation of the bridge shall meet the minimum guidelines established by using approved engineering methods; 4. The finished bridge shall have a minimum roadway width of twenty-four (24) feet; and 5. Materials used in the construction of the bridge shall meet or exceed the specifications for materials as specified in the current edition of the County Bridge Standards or certified in writing by the engineer or supplier. F. Monies from the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund may be used to establish minimum standards for guardrail applications on low-traffic-volume county roads. The board of directors of the association representing the county commissioners of Oklahoma may request the development of guardrail standards on bridges on low-traffic-volume county roads, as defined in the county road standard manual, the cost of which shall be paid from monies from the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund. G. Prior to construction of the bridge, a county may request that construction supervision be provided by the Circuit Engineering District of which the county is a member to ensure quality control and quality assurance.

Added by Laws 1980, HB 1819, c. 307, § 6, emerg. eff. June 17, 1980; Amended by Laws 1995, HB 1950, c. 25, § 2, eff. November 1, 1995; Amended by Laws 1997, HB 2038, c. 284, § 23, emerg. eff. July 1, 1997 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 1999, HB 1154, c. 240, § 1, eff. November 1, 1999 (superseded document available).