GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2019

SESSION LAW 2019-156

HOUSE BILL 620

AN ACT TO require the department of transportation to compile a Public Street Information Database and to update the Subdivision Roads Manual REGULARLY, AND to EXEMPT CERTAIN PROPRIETARY DESIGN WORK OR WORK PRODUCT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FROM PUBLIC RECORDS TEMPORARILY.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Article 2 of Chapter 136 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

"§136‑18.06.  Public Street Information Database.

The Department shall compile a readily available "Public Street Information Database" and place it in operation on or before January 1, 2020. The information shall convey the status of roads within the State, and it shall be updated at least monthly, except as provided in subdivision (1) of this section. The data shall reside on any existing database system chosen by the Department for this purpose, including a geographic information system (GIS) mapping system. The system chosen shall convey clear and concise information regarding the status of roads to the public. The data shall be available to the public in either graphic or tabular format, or both. The status of roads to be conveyed shall be:

(1) Federally owned, updated as often and with as much information as the State is provided from the federal government.

(2) State‑maintained with a State road number assigned.

(3) State‑owned with a State road number assigned."

SECTION 2.  Article 2 of Chapter 136 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

"§ 136‑18.07.  Subdivision Roads Manual.

The Department shall update its Subdivision Roads Minimum Construction Standards Manual and any related pavement or other policies by July 1, 2020, and regularly thereafter, to accurately reflect current federal and State law and applicable judicial decisions. The Department shall report all updates to the Manual to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee."

SECTION 3.  G.S. 132‑1.2 reads as rewritten:

"§ 132‑1.2.  Confidential information.

Nothing in this Chapter shall be construed to require or authorize a public agency or its subdivision to disclose any information that:

…

(8) Reveals proprietary design work or work product included in a proposal that is submitted to the Department of Transportation for consideration, or any Department intra‑agency communications related to the review of a proposal, during a competitive bid process. For the purposes of this subdivision, the competitive bid process is completed upon contract award. Proprietary design work, work product, or intra‑agency communications that are otherwise public records pursuant to G.S. 132‑1 are no longer confidential and subject to disclosure upon contract award."

SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 11^th day of July, 2019.

                                                                    s/  Carl Ford

                                                                         Presiding Officer of the Senate

                                                                    s/  Tim Moore

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                    s/  Roy Cooper

                                                                         Governor

Approved 11:24 a.m. this 22^nd day of July, 2019