§ 22-2. Road construction and improvements.

(a)

Board resolution. Whenever the improvement of any road or part thereof shall be deemed necessary by the board, a resolution stating the nature and location of the proposed improvement shall be declared and published once a week for three consecutive weeks in the newspaper in which the county's legal advertisements are published. If the owners of a majority of the lineal feet of frontage of the lands abutting on the proposed improvement do not, within 15 days after the last day of publication of said resection, file with the county clerk a written protest against such improvement, contracts for the work to be done shall be entered into and assessments and liens shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of O.C.G.A. § 32-3-12.

(b)

Permit required. It shall be unlawful for any person to construct or lay any pavement for or on any public road, sidewalk, curb, alley, or other public way, or to repair the same, without having first obtained a permit from the county clerk in the manner specified in this chapter.

(c)

Bond. Each applicant for a permit to construct or improve any pavement on any public road, sidewalk, curb, alley, or other public way shall be required to file a bond in the amount of $2,500.00 with surety to be approved by the board, conditioned to indemnify the county for any loss or damage caused by, or resulting from, the work undertaken.

(d)

Specifications.

(1)

Conformity required. All roads and sidewalk pavements and all curbing shall be in conformity with the specifications established or approved from time to time by the board.

(2)

Curb ramping. The standard for construction of curbs on each side of any county road, or any connecting street or road for which curbs have been prescribed, shall be not less than one ramp per lineal block giving on the crosswalks at intersections. Such ramps shall be at least 40 inches wide and so constructed as to allow reasonable access to the crosswalk for physically handicapped persons.

(e)

Barricades. Any person laying or repairing any pavement on a road, sidewalk or other public place shall maintain suitable barricades to prevent injury to any person, or vehicle by reason of the work, and those barricades shall be protected by a light at nighttime.

(f)

Prioritization of roads to be paved by the county or with a contribution of funds from the county.

(1)

A list will be maintained of all roads in the county which have been determined to be suitable and acceptable for paving with the expenditure of county and state funds.

(2)

Roads, where the rights-of-way have been donated to the county, which have been placed on the list will receive priority over roads that condemnation or payment will be necessary to secure the necessary rights-of-way for construction and paving of the roads using State funds.

(3)

Roads will be prioritized in the order in which they are surveyed and found acceptable for paving with State funds and in which all of the executed rights-of-way have been received by the county.

(4)

Each district will be entitled to priority within the list to the extent that, when reasonably possible, a road will be paved from each of the districts in turn, before a second road is paved from the same district.

(5)

Roads will also receive priority within each district based upon the mileage to be paved, with the roads having the greater mileage to be prioritized over shorter roads.

(6)

Roads may also be prioritized by unanimous vote of the board.

(Code 1998, § 6-302)