PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1322 PRINTER'S NO. 3294
No. 1145 Session of 1975
INTRODUCED BY MESSRS. BONETTO, KOLTER, STOUT, ANDERSON AND GEESEY, APRIL 29, 1975
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MAY 26, 1976
AN ACT 1 Amending the act of May 31, 1911 (P.L.468, No.193), entitled "An 2 act providing for the establishment of a State Highway 3 Department, by the appointment of a State Highway 4 Commissioner, two Deputy State Highway Commissioners, chief 5 engineer, chief draughtsman, superintendents of highways, and 6 a staff of assistants and employes; defining their duties and 7 the jurisdiction of the State Highway Department, and fixing 8 salaries of commissioner and deputies and other appointees; 9 providing for taking over from the counties or townships of 10 the Commonwealth certain existing public roads connecting 11 county-seats, principal cities, and towns and extending to 12 the State line; describing and defining same by route numbers 13 as the State Highways of the Commonwealth; providing for the 14 improvement, maintenance and repair of said State Highways 15 solely at the expense of the Commonwealth, and relieving the 16 several townships or counties from any further obligation and 17 expense to improve or maintain the same, and relieving said 18 townships or counties of authority over same; requiring 19 boroughs and incorporated towns to maintain certain State 20 Highways wholly and in part; requiring the State Highway 21 Commissioner to make maps to be complete records thereof; 22 conferring authority on the State Highway Commissioner; 23 providing for the payment of damages in taking of property, 24 or otherwise, in the improvement thereof; providing for 25 purchase or acquiring of turnpikes or toll-roads forming all 26 or part of any State Highway, and procedure therein; 27 providing for work of improvement of State Highways to be 28 done by contract, except where the State Highway Commissioner 29 decides the work be done by the State; providing aid by the 30 State to counties and townships desiring the same in the 31 improvement of township or county roads; defining highways 32 and State-aid highways; providing method of application for 33 State aid in the improvement, maintenance and repair of
1 township or county roads and prescribing the contents of 2 township, county, borough, or incorporated town petitions; 3 providing for percentage of cost of improvement or repairs to 4 be paid by State, county, township, borough, or incorporated 5 town, and requiring contracts by counties, townships, 6 boroughs, and incorporated towns with Commonwealth governing 7 same; providing for the minimum width of State Highways and 8 State-aid highways, and kind of materials to be used in the 9 improvement; providing for payment of cost of improvement and 10 repairs; providing penalty for injuring or destroying State 11 Highways; making appropriations to carry out the provisions 12 of the act; and providing for the repeal of certain acts 13 relating to Highway Department and improvement of roads, and 14 of all acts or parts of acts inconsistent herewith; and 15 providing that existing contracts are not affected by 16 provisions of this act," further providing for retainages. 17 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 18 hereby enacts as follows: 19 Section 1. Subsection (f) of section 33, act of May 31, 1911 20 (P.L.468, No.193), entitled "An act providing for the 21 establishment of a State Highway Department, by the appointment 22 of a State Highway Commissioner, two Deputy State Highway 23 Commissioners, chief engineer, chief draughtsman, 24 superintendents of highways, and a staff of assistants and 25 employes; defining their duties and the jurisdiction of the 26 State Highway Department, and fixing salaries of commissioner 27 and deputies and other appointees; providing for taking over 28 from the counties or townships of the Commonwealth certain 29 existing public roads connecting county-seats, principal cities, 30 and towns and extending to the State line; describing and 31 defining same by route numbers as the State Highways of the 32 Commonwealth; providing for the improvement, maintenance and 33 repair of said State Highways solely at the expense of the 34 Commonwealth, and relieving the several townships or counties 35 from any further obligation and expense to improve or maintain 36 the same, and relieving said townships or counties of authority 37 over same; requiring boroughs and incorporated towns to maintain 19750H1145B3294 - 2 -
1 certain State Highways wholly and in part; requiring the State 2 Highway Commissioner to make maps to be complete records 3 thereof; conferring authority on the State Highway Commissioner; 4 providing for the payment of damages in taking of property, or 5 otherwise, in the improvement thereof; providing for purchase or 6 acquiring of turnpikes or toll-roads forming all or part of any 7 State Highway, and procedure therein; providing for work of 8 improvement of State Highways to be done by contract, except 9 where the State Highway Commissioner decides the work be done by 10 the State; providing aid by the State to counties and townships 11 desiring the same in the improvement of township or county 12 roads; defining highways and State-aid highways; providing 13 method of application for State aid in the improvement, 14 maintenance and repair of township or county roads and 15 prescribing the contents of township, county, borough, or 16 incorporated town petitions; providing for percentage of cost of 17 improvement or repairs to be paid by State, county, township, 18 borough, or incorporated town, and requiring contracts by 19 counties, townships, boroughs, and incorporated towns with 20 Commonwealth governing same; providing for the minimum width of 21 State Highways and State-aid highways, and kind of materials to 22 be used in the improvement; providing for payment of cost of 23 improvement and repairs; providing penalty for injuring or 24 destroying State Highways; making appropriations to carry out 25 the provisions of the act; and providing for the repeal of 26 certain acts relating to Highway Department and improvement of 27 roads, and of all acts or parts of acts inconsistent herewith; 28 and providing that existing contracts are not affected by 29 provisions of this act," amended May 25, 1961 (P.L.231, No.131), 30 is amended to read: 19750H1145B3294 - 3 -
1 Section 33. * * * 2 (f) The Secretary of [Highways may] Transportation shall MAY <-- 3 make partial payments to any contractor performing any highway 4 improvement, under this act, at semi-monthly intervals, or more 5 frequently from time to time, as the same progresses, upon 6 estimates made by the Department of [Highways] Transportation, 7 beginning on the first estimate date established by the 8 department following the date set forth in the notice to proceed 9 or indicated in the special provisions. [Ten per centum (10%)] <-- 10 FIVE PER CENTUM (5%) of the amount due on partial payments or <-- 11 current estimates representing fifty per centum (50%) of the 12 total contract price, shall be withheld from the contractor 13 pending completion: Provided, That the secretary may waive the 14 withholding or reduce the amount of retainage if he is otherwise 15 assured that the contract will be completed. Thereafter, no per 16 centum of the amount due on partial payments or current 17 estimates shall be withheld from the contractor pending 18 completion: Provided, That the Secretary of [Highways] 19 Transportation may, in his discretion, make payments in excess 20 of the percentages withheld when at least ninety-five per centum 21 (95%) of the work contracted has been completed. [The] If any 22 amount is required by the secretary to be retained under this 23 section, the amount retained under said contract for the work 24 done and performed shall in all cases be sufficient to cover 25 [double] the contract price or estimated cost of the work 26 remaining to be done to satisfactorily complete the contract. 27 * * * 28 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately. C4L34ML/19750H1145B3294 - 4 -