§ 15-6. Adding rural roads to the parish road system

(a) No rural road shall be added to the Natchitoches Parish Road System for maintenance which does not meet all of the following requirements:

(1) The subject road must meet the current minimum safety standards adopted by the office of highways of the department of transportation and development in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 48:35 (Minimum Design Standards).

(2) The subject road must serve a public need or purpose, or a purpose that, when balanced against a private need or purpose, is predominately in the public interest rather than the private interest.

(3) The subject road, or any portion thereof, can not be located inside the corporate limits of an incorporated municipality.

(b) Rural roads which meet all of the requirements in paragraph (a) above may be considered for addition to the parish road system in accordance with the following procedures:

(1) Application:

a. No road will be considered for addition to the parish road system except upon receipt of a written request from a resident of the parish.

b. This written request shall be presented to the secretary of the Natchitoches Parish Police Jury who shall mail a copy of said written request to the president, director of public works, and each respective member of the highway steering committee.

(2) Evaluation:

a. Upon receipt of a copy of the written request for a road to be added to the parish road system for maintenance, the director of public works shall complete, or cause to be completed, Part I of a copy of the Road Evaluation Form "A" attached to Ordinance No. 35 and identified as Appendix "A", and forward same to the secretary.

(Ord. No. 28, 12-15-83; Ord. No. 35, 6-14-84)

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Editor's note—The road evaluation form referenced above is not set out herein, but copies are on file in the office of the director of public works and parish secretary.

b. Upon receipt of the road evaluation form, the secretary shall mail a copy of the form and all attachments thereto, to the president and each respective member of the highway steering committee.

(3) Highway steering committee action:

a. At the next meeting of the highway steering committee, held at least seven (7) days after copies of the road evaluation form have been mailed to the president and the members of the committee, the committee shall study the road evaluation form for the subject road to determine:

1. The classification for the subject road;

2. Whether the subject road meets all of the eligibility requirements of section 15-6 (a), for its classification;

b. Adopt a resolution in which they recommend either:

1. That the police jury add the subject road to the parish road system; or

2. That the police jury decline the request for taking the subject road into the parish road system for maintenance.

c. Complete and sign Part II of the said road evaluation form.

(4) Police jury review:

a. Upon completion and signing of Part II of the road evaluation form by the highway steering committee, the secretary shall mail a copy of said road evaluation form and all attachments thereto to the president and each respective member of the parish police jury and to the director of public works.

b. At the first legal session of the police jury, held at least seven (7) days after the members of the police jury have been sent a copy of the road evaluation form, the police jury shall review the subject road evaluation form and the highway steering committee's recommendation to determine, in their opinion:

1. Whether the subject road is situated within the corporate limits of an incorporated municipality.

2. Whether the subject road meets the current minimum safety standards adopted by the office of highways of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (Minimum Design Standards).

3. Whether the subject road serves a clearly defined public need, in accordance with section 15-1.1 (description of roads) of the Parish Code of Ordinances.

(c) Police jury action. When the police jury has determined that the subject road meets all three (3) of the eligibility requirements prescribed in section 15-6(b)(4)b above, then the police jury may, if it determines to do so, adopt a resolution providing for adding the subject road, by name, to the parish road system for maintenance. The resolution shall also instruct the director of public works to assign a parish number to said road, and add same to the parish road system inventory.