1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to bridges; authorizing payment of 
  1.3             preliminary engineering costs from the town bridge 
  1.4             account; amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 
  1.5             161.082, subdivision 2a. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 161.082, 
  1.8   subdivision 2a, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 2a.  [TOWN BRIDGES AND CULVERTS; TOWN ROAD ACCOUNT.] 
  1.10  (a) Money in the town bridge account must be expended on town 
  1.11  road bridge structures that are ten feet or more in length and 
  1.12  on town road culverts that replace existing town road bridges.  
  1.13  In addition, if the present bridge structure is less than ten 
  1.14  feet in length but a hydrological survey indicates that the 
  1.15  replacement bridge structure or culvert must be ten feet or more 
  1.16  in length, then the bridge or culvert is eligible for 
  1.17  replacement funds. 
  1.18     (b) In addition, if a culvert that replaces a deficient 
  1.19  bridge is in a county comprehensive water plan approved by the 
  1.20  board of water and soil resources and the department of natural 
  1.21  resources, the costs of the culvert and roadway grading other 
  1.22  than surfacing are eligible for replacement funds up to the cost 
  1.23  of constructing a replacement bridge. 
  1.24     (c) The expenditures on a bridge structure or culvert may 
  1.25  be paid from the county turnback account and may be for 100 
  2.1   percent of the cost of the replacement structure or culvert or 
  2.2   for 100 percent of the cost of rehabilitating the existing 
  2.3   structure. 
  2.4      (d) The town bridge account may be used to pay the costs to 
  2.5   abandon an existing bridge that is deficient and in need of 
  2.6   replacement, but where no replacement will be made.  It may also 
  2.7   be used to pay the costs to construct a road or street to 
  2.8   facilitate the abandonment of an existing bridge determined by 
  2.9   the commissioner to be deficient, if the commissioner determines 
  2.10  that construction of the road or street is more cost efficient 
  2.11  than replacing the existing bridge. 
  2.12     (e) When bridge approach construction work exceeds $10,000 
  2.13  in costs, or when the county engineer determines that the cost 
  2.14  of the replacement culverts alone will not exceed $20,000, or 
  2.15  preliminary engineering costs exceed $5,000, the town shall be 
  2.16  eligible for financial assistance from the town bridge account.  
  2.17  Financial assistance shall be requested by resolution of the 
  2.18  county board and shall be limited to: 
  2.19     (1) 100 percent of the cost of the bridge approach work 
  2.20  that is in excess of $10,000; ~~or~~ 
  2.21     (2) 100 percent of the cost of the replacement culverts 
  2.22  when the cost does not exceed $20,000 and the town board agrees 
  2.23  to be responsible for all the other costs, which may include 
  2.24  costs for structural removal, installation, and permitting.  The 
  2.25  replacement structure design and costs shall be approved and 
  2.26  certified by the county engineer, but need not be subsequently 
  2.27  approved by the department of transportation; or 
  2.28     (3) 100 percent of the preliminary engineering costs that 
  2.29  exceed $5,000, or in the case of towns with a net tax capacity 
  2.30  of less than $200,000, 100 percent of the preliminary 
  2.31  engineering costs. 
  2.32     (f) Money in the town road account must be distributed as 
  2.33  provided in section 162.081.