27-72-405. State aid engineer.

27-72-405. State aid engineer. (a) The State Aid Division of the Arkansas Department of Transportation shall be headed by a state aid engineer. (b) The state aid engineer shall be a registered engineer with at least three (3) years' experience as a highway engineer and a thorough knowledge of municipal street problems. (c) The state aid engineer under the direction of the Arkansas Department of Transportation shall: (1) Advise the mayors and chief executive officers of the several municipalities on all matters of policy, use of funds, minimum standards for state aid streets, safeguards in accounting methods, and other related matters and cooperate with the mayors and chief executive officers on all matters connected with the layout and construction of state aid streets; (2) Promulgate uniform and reasonable rules as he or she may deem necessary to: (A) Effectuate a proper designation of state aid streets to be constructed in each municipality; and (B) Develop the methods for determining priority of construction, the making of surveys, and the preparation of plans and specifications for the construction of state aid streets; (3) Provide a uniform system of accounting in the expenditure of moneys from the State Aid Street Fund; (4)(A) Prepare and promulgate practical uniform design standards and specifications for the construction of state aid streets. (B) The minimum design standards and specifications may be modified or amended from time to time as the state aid engineer deems necessary; provided, however, that in any municipality with design standards as part of its adopted master street plan, any project proposed as part of the state aid streets program according to those adopted municipal design standards shall be deemed to have met the design standards for state aid streets; (5) Advise and cooperate with the mayors and chief executive officers: (A) In the selection and designation of the municipal streets that are to be made a part of the state aid street system, as provided for in this subchapter; and (B) To approve or disapprove the selection of streets to be made a part of the state aid street system by the respective mayors and chief executive officers; (6) Prepare and submit to the State Highway Commission all proposed contracts to be let for the construction or reconstruction of state aid streets, but before submitting the contracts to the commission, he or she shall submit them to the mayor or chief executive officer of the municipality in which the work is to be performed so that the mayor or chief executive officer may determine that they include in all respects the work the municipality desires to be done in the municipality to be paid from state aid funds; and (7)(A) To personally, or through his or her designated assistants, supervise and inspect all state aid street projects as the work progresses. (B)(i) Upon final completion of any project, the state aid engineer shall cause a final inspection to be made of the project for the purpose of determining whether the project has been completed satisfactorily in accordance with the plans and specifications. (ii) If satisfactorily completed, the state aid engineer shall approve payment of the final estimate on the project. (C) Progress or final estimate either on a contract or a force account project shall not be paid unless approved in such manner by the state aid engineer. (d)(1) The state aid engineer shall be subject to the direction of the department. (2) However, both the state aid engineer and the department shall be bound by the provisions of this section.