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<section article="gtr" article_name="Transportation" number="8-610" title_number="8" title_name="Highways" subtitle_number="6" subtitle_name="Construction and Maintenance">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this part the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Construction phase” means the phase in which a highway project is advanced through detailed engineering, property acquisition, and construction to completion.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>This definition does not preclude the Administration from acquiring property during the project planning phase, and the completion of property acquisition does not constitute a commitment to the project’s alignment or construction.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>“Final project planning phase” means that portion of the project planning phase which follows the initial project planning phase. The final project planning phase includes:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Detailed review of alternatives;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Selection of final alignment and scope;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Preparation of final environmental impact documents;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Detailed design and engineering studies;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Any formal federal approval of design and location;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>Full participation of the public; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>Full participation of local, State, and federal agencies.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>“Highway needs inventory” means an identification of needs for highway projects, based on the latest evaluation of highway conditions and transportation needs by the Administration.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>“Initial project planning phase” means that portion of the project planning phase which includes:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Notification of local, State, and federal officials;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Initial interagency review;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Initial systems planning;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Identification of alternatives, as set forth in § 8–102 of this title, for the scope and the location of the project;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Estimates of right–of–way requirements, including available detail with respect to specific properties affected, and of cost;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>Public meetings for discussion of the foregoing; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>Reports of consultants, if any have been retained for the analysis of preliminary alternatives.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Local governing body” means:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The county commissioners or county council of a county; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>If the charter of the county provides for a county executive, the county executive and the county council.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>For purposes of this part, action by the local governing body of a charter county with a county executive means a majority vote of the county council:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>With the approval of the county executive; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>If the county executive does not grant approval within 10 days of the council action, with subsequent confirmation of the council action by two thirds of the members of the council.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Local legislative delegation” means those members of the State Senate and of the House of Delegates who represent any part of the county involved.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>For purposes of this part, a “majority” of the local legislative delegation means a majority of those members of the State Senate and a majority of those members of the House of Delegates, voting separately.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>In any county which is divided into more than one senatorial district, the vote of approval or disapproval for each Senator shall be in direct proportion to the number of residents living in his senatorial district to the total county population. The population figures for each county and senatorial district shall be taken from the preceding U.S. Census Report. However, if a Senator representing more than one county is voting to approve or disapprove a project in his senatorial district, he shall have the same voting authority as the Senator representing the largest percentage of the population in that county. However, in those counties represented by exactly two senators, if a project is located exclusively in one senatorial district, that Senator shall have the prevailing vote on the approval or disapproval of that project.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>“Municipality” means the governing body of a municipality as defined in § 1–101 of the Local Government Article.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>“Project planning phase” means the phase in which engineering and environmental studies and analyses are conducted with full participation of the public, in addition to local, State, and federal agencies, to determine the scope and location of a proposed highway project.</text>
  </level>
</section>
