Source: https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_136/Article_14B.html
Timestamp: 2020-03-28 09:38:14
Document Index: 707293038

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 505', '§ 104', '§ 204', '§ 104', '§ 149', '§ 125']

Chapter 136 - Article 14B
Strategic Prioritization Funding Plan for Transportation Investments.
e. Public transportation service not included in subdivision (3) or (4) of this section. This sub-subdivision includes commuter rail, intercity rail, and light rail. Nothing in this sub-subdivision shall be construed as authorizing total State funding in excess of the maximum established in sub-subdivision g. of subdivision (3) of this section for commuter rail and light rail projects.
g. Public transportation service that spans two or more counties and that serves more than one municipality. Programmed funds pursuant to this sub-subdivision shall not exceed ten percent (10%) of any distribution region allocation. This sub-subdivision includes commuter rail, intercity rail, and light rail. Total State funding for a commuter rail or light rail project shall not exceed the lesser of ten percent (10%) of the distribution region allocation or ten percent (10%) of the estimated total project costs used during the prioritization scoring process. The State shall not be responsible or liable for any project costs in excess of the maximum established under this sub-subdivision. Any agreement entered into by the State to fund a commuter rail or light rail project shall include language setting out the limitations set forth in this sub-subdivision.
h. Freight capacity and safety improvements to Class I freight rail corridors. (2013-183, s. 1.1(a); 2013-410, s. 38(a); 2016-94, ss. 35.12(c), (d); 2018-97, s. 7.5(c).)
(9) Federal State Planning and Research Program funds (23 U.S.C. § 505) and Metropolitan Planning funds (23 U.S.C. §§ 104 and 134).
(10) Federal Lands Access Program funds received by the State pursuant to 23 U.S.C. § 204.
(11) Funds advanced pursuant to G.S. 136-186.
(12) Funds appropriated to the North Carolina State Ports Authority for the purposes described in G.S. 136-176(b3).
(4) State funds used to match federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program funds apportioned to the State pursuant to 23 U.S.C. § 104(b)(2) and 23 U.S.C. § 149 for projects on the State highway system that improve the safety, mobility, and operational characteristics of the State highway system for motorists.
(c1) Emergency Funds With Alternative Criteria. - The following funds, obligated in support of emergency repair work necessary to restore essential travel, minimize the extent of damage, or protect remaining facilities, as a result of events that occurred during a federal- or State-declared emergency that significantly damaged the State-maintained transportation system to the extent that safe passage is jeopardized, shall be subject to subsection (d) of this section but shall not be subject to the prioritization criteria set forth in that subsection:
(1) Federal or State funds obligated for repairs for which federal Emergency Relief Funds are available pursuant to 23 U.S.C. § 125.
(2) State funds obligated for repairs to damage occurring as a result of an event that is lawfully declared to be a federal or State emergency.
b. Project cap. - No more than ten percent (10%) of the funds projected to be allocated to the Statewide Strategic Mobility category over any five-year period may be assigned to any project or group of projects in the same corridor within a Highway Division or within adjoining Highway Divisions.
4. Projects requested from the Department in support of a time-critical job creation opportunity, when the opportunity would be classified as transformative under the Job Development Investment Grant program established pursuant to G.S. 143B-437.52, provided that the State investment for all projects funded under this sub-sub-subdivision in any five-year period shall not exceed one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) in the aggregate and ten million dollars ($10,000,000) per project. Upon the release of a State Transportation Improvement Program, the Department shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee detailing the projects funded under this sub-sub-subdivision.
(d1) Additional Requirement for High-Cost Projects. - State funding may not be expended for a light rail project until a written agreement is provided to the Department establishing that all non-State funding necessary to construct the project has been committed.
(1) Limitation on variance. - The Department, in obligating funds in accordance with this section, shall ensure that the percentage amount obligated to Statewide Strategic Mobility Projects, Regional Impact Projects, and Division Need Projects does not vary by more than fifteen percent (15%) over any five-year period and ten percent (10%) over any 10-year period from the percentage required to be allocated to each of those categories by this section. Funds obligated among distribution regions or divisions pursuant to this section may vary up to fifteen percent (15%) over any five-year period and ten percent (10%) over any 10-year period.
(2) Calculation of Variance. - Each year, the Secretary shall calculate the amount of Regional Impact and Division Need funds allocated in that year to each division and region, the amount of funds obligated, and the amount the obligations exceeded or were below the allocation. In calculating the amount of funds obligated, the Secretary shall include any amount used as repayment for funds advanced pursuant to G.S. 136-186. The target amounts obtained according to the Formula set forth in this section shall be adjusted to account for any differences between allocations and obligations reported for the previous five fiscal years. The new target amounts shall be used to fulfill the requirements of subdivision (1) of this subsection for the next update of the Transportation Improvement Program. The adjustment to the target amount shall be allocated by Distribution Region or Division, as applicable.
(e1) Repealed by Session Laws 2016-94, s. 35.12(a), effective July 1, 2016.
(3) Funds obtained through highway tolling. - Upon authorization to construct a project with funding from toll revenue, the Department shall make available for allocation an amount equal to one-half of the project construction cost derived from toll revenue bonds. Upon authorization to construct a toll project in which no project construction cost is derived from toll revenue bonds, the Department shall make available for allocation an amount equal to one-half of the revenue expected from the project over the first 10 years of the project, less operations costs, as set forth in the Investment Grade Traffic and Revenue Study. The amount made available for allocation to other eligible highway projects shall not exceed two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) of the capital construction funding directly attributable to the highway toll revenues committed in the Investment Grade Traffic and Revenue Study, for a project for which funds have been committed on or before July 1, 2015. The amount made available for allocation to other eligible highway projects shall not exceed one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) of the capital construction funding directly attributable to the highway toll revenues committed in the Investment Grade Traffic and Revenue Study, for a project for which funds are committed after July 1, 2015. If the toll project is located in one or more Metropolitan Planning Organization or Rural Transportation Planning Organization boundaries, based on the boundaries in existence at the time of letting of the project construction contract, the bonus allocation shall be distributed proportionately to lane miles of new capacity within the Organization's boundaries. The Organization shall apply the bonus allocation only within those counties in which the toll project is located. Except for tolls removed pursuant to G.S. 136-89.196, if a toll is removed or a toll is not implemented, any funds made available for allocation or allocated under this subdivision shall be withheld by the Department or repaid to the Department, as applicable. Any funds withheld or repaid under this subdivision may be reallocated according to the requirements of this subdivision.
(h) Improvement of Prioritization Process. - The Department shall endeavor to continually improve the methodology and criteria used to score highway and non-highway projects pursuant to this Article, including the use of normalization techniques, and methods to strengthen the data collection process. The Department is directed to continue the use of a workgroup process to develop improvements to the prioritization process. Workgroup participants shall include, but not be limited to, the North Carolina League of Municipalities, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, the North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, and the North Carolina Council of Regional Governments. The workgroup, led by the Prioritization Office, shall contain a minimum of four representatives each from the North Carolina Association of Municipal Planning Organizations and the North Carolina Association of Rural Planning Organizations, and these members will be selected by a vote of each organization. Department participants in the workgroup shall not exceed half of the total group. Beginning December 1, 2016, the Department shall report annually to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee on any changes made to the highway or non-highway prioritization process and the resulting impact to the State Transportation Improvement Program. The General Assembly members and staff may attend all workgroup meetings related to the prioritization process, all subgroup meetings of the workgroup, and have access to all related workgroup or subgroup documents. (2013-183, s. 1.1(a), (b); 2013-410, s. 38(b), (c), (d), (h); 2014-58, ss. 6, 8; 2014-115, s. 56.6; 2015-241, s. 29.41(a); 2016-94, s. 35.12(a); 2017-57, ss. 34.6(b), 34.27(b); 2018-5, ss. 34.5(c), 34.6(a)-(e), 34.7(a); 2018-97, s. 7.5(a).)