A BILL to amend article four, chapter seventeen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto six new sections, designated sections twenty-one-a, twenty-one-b, twenty-one-c, twenty-one-d, twenty-one-e and twenty-one-f, all relating to roads and highways; six-year comprehensive program and financial plan for road and highway improvement; preparation, biennial revisions; hearings; requirement for submission of plan.

The department of highways shall prepare and periodically revise, after consultation with the state road commission, appropriate legislative committees and the public, a comprehensive six-year program and financial plan for highway improvements. This program and plan shall specify program objectives for each of the road categories defined in section one of this article and within the framework of estimated funds for such period. The program and plan shall be based upon the improvement needs for state highways as determined by the department from time to time.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, the department of highways, in preparing or revising the comprehensive six-year program and financial plan for highway improvements, shall allocate the estimated funds among improvement categories A, B and C, as described in section twenty-one-a of this article, giving primary consideration to the following factors:

Prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-three, and of each succeeding odd-numbered year, the department of highways shall adopt and thereafter biennially revise, after the consultation required in section twenty-one-a of this article and after adequate opportunity for public input, the comprehensive six-year program and financial plan for the construction improvement program, including program objectives, as specified in section twenty-one-a of this article.

(a) The comprehensive six-year program and financial plan for each category of highway improvements shall be based upon a priority selection system within the program objectives which priority selection system is established by the department of highways for each category described in section twenty-one-a of this article. The department, using the criteria set forth in section twenty-one-a, shall determine the category of each highway improvement.

After preparation, but prior to adoption, of the initial comprehensive six-year program and financial plan for the construction improvement program by the department of highways pursuant to section twenty-one-c of this article, the department of highways shall conduct a public hearing in each of the four congressional districts of the state at which the entire six-year plan shall be discussed and the expressed views of the public considered. Such hearing shall be conducted only after publishing notice of the same in a newspaper or in newspapers having general circulation within that congressional district once a week for two consecutive weeks, the last advertisement being not less than five days prior to the date of the hearing. In addition, notice of the proposed hearing shall be posted at the courthouse of each county within the said district at least ten days prior to the date of the hearing.

After adoption of the comprehensive six-year plan or any biennial revision thereof pursuant to this article, the department of highways shall cause copies of that plan or revisions to be submitted to all elected state officials, the county commission of each county in the state, and any member of the public who requests the same and pays to the department of highways a reasonable fee to reimburse that department for the cost of reproduction, if such fee is found necessary by the department of highways. In addition, the department of highways shall cause copies of the comprehensive six-year plan to be made available for public inspection at locations throughout the state accessible to the public, including, but not limited to, public libraries and offices of the department of highways.