Chapter 136-700 WAC

RCW 36.170.010 provides for a county local road program (LRP) to be established and that the county road administration board shall adopt rules necessary to implement said program. This chapter describes the manner in which the county road administration board will implement the provisions of chapter 36.170 RCW.

The county road administration board shall adopt rules in accordance with the provisions of statute, chapter 36.170 RCW, for purposes of administering the LRP regarding the following:

(1) Eligibility to receive funds.

(2) Functional classification.

(3) LRP projects in the six-year program.

(4) Considerations at submittal.

(5) Statewide prioritization of LRP projects.

(6) Design standards for LRP projects.

(7) Apportionment of funds to LRP projects.

(8) Allocation of funds to approved LRP projects.

(9) Matching requirements.

(10) Delegation of authority.

(11) CRAB/county contract.

(12) Processing of vouchers.

(13) Audit responsibilities.

(14) Reports to the legislature.

(15) Other matters deemed necessary by the county road administration board.

(1) Only those counties that, during the preceding 12 months, have spent all revenues collected for road purposes only, for such purposes, RCW 36.82.070, and including traffic law enforcement as allowed under Article II, section 40 of the state Constitution, are eligible to receive funds from the county local road program, except that:

(a) Counties with a population of less than 8,000 are exempt from this eligibility restriction;

(b) Counties expending revenues collected for road purposes only on other governmental services after authorization from the voters of that county under RCW 84.55.050 are exempt from this eligibility restriction; and

(c) This restriction does not apply to any moneys diverted from the road district levy under chapter 39.89 RCW.

(2) The board shall authorize county local road grant program funds for the construction project portion of a project previously authorized for a preliminary proposal in the sequence in which the preliminary proposal has been completed and the construction project is to be placed under contract. At such time the board may reserve funds for expenditure in future years as may be necessary for completion of preliminary proposals and construction projects to be commenced in the ensuing biennium.

(3) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the board may consider additional projects for authorization under this chapter upon a clear and conclusive showing by the submitting county that the proposed project is of an emergent nature and that its need was unable to be anticipated at the time the six-year plan of the county was developed. The proposed projects must be evaluated on the basis of the priority rating factors specified in RCW 36.170.030.

(1) The statute specifies that eligible projects must be roads not federally classified as an arterial or collector.

(2) Each LRP project application submitted shall show the functional classification of the road or roads included in the project. Prior to project approval, the board shall verify that the road on which the LRP project is requested, is not federally classified as an arterial or collector.

Proposed projects must be included in the respective county's six-year plan as provided in RCW 36.81.121 before board approval of the project.

In order to assure effective and timely administration of the LRP, the county road administration board may delegate authority in specific matters to its executive director. Delegation may be relative to signing of contracts, approval of LRP project vouchers, approval of change of scope of a project and other matters as may be determined by the county road administration board.

The board shall include a program status report in the board's annual report to the legislature as provided in RCW 36.78.070.