SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                          725

Twenty-year Needs Study Program that available funds will accom-
modate. From the program for the five years beginning July 1, 1969
the Commission shall prepare and approve a construction and recon-
struction program for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1969 and
ending June 30, 1970 for which funds will be contained in the Com-
missions COMMISSION'S annual budget. Each year thereafter the
Commission shall update the five-year program, thus establishing a
continuing five-year construction and reconstruction program from
which the Commission shall schedule the next annual program for
the State Highway System. Each year the annual program of the
Commission shall be submitted in the Commissions COMMISSION'S
budget to the General Assembly for its review and approval. Such
program shall include the highway projects scheduled during such
budget year and the degree of completion anticipated. Concurrently
the remaining four years of the five-year program shall be submitted
to the General Assembly for its information. If the Commission for
any reason is unable to perform in accordance with the scheduling
set forth in the annual programs it is directed to explain to the next
session of the General Assembly any change in the scheduling of a
particular project included in preceding years' programs. Projects
comprising the five-year programs shall be derived from the Twenty-
year Needs Study which will be subject to local participation as set
forth in Section 211-O of this Article. In order to insure full ad-
vantage from competitive bidding, it is the legislative intent that the
Commission shall, whenever practicable, separate or break major
construction projects into two or more smaller contracts for con-
struction purposes.

211-O.

In order that the members of the General Assembly and the Execu-
tive Department of the State may be furnished with up-to-date and
current information on highway needs and costs, the State Roads
Commission is hereby authorized and directed, beginning with the
calendar year 1970, to submit to the General Assembly and the Gov-
ernor on or before February 1, 1970 a revised Highway Needs Study
for the next succeeding twenty-year period. Thereafter, such twenty-
year needs study shall be updated biennially by the Commission and
submitted to the General Assembly and the Governor thus initiating
a continuous twenty-year construction and reconstruction program
based upon latest cost estimates and highway needs. Prior to the
submission to the General Assembly and the Governor of each re-
vised twenty-year needs study, the Commission shall seek the par-
ticipation of the members of the governing bodies and the legislators
of each county in connection with SECURE THE APPROVAL OF
A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL GOVERN-
ING BODY AND THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF DELE-
GATES, A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF
DELEGATES REPRESENTING EACH COUNTY, AND SUB-
JECT TO THE CONCURRENCE OF A MAJORITY OF THE
STATE SENATORS REPRESENTING EACH COUNTY WITH
RESPECT TO the inclusion of highway projects and the establish-
ment of construction priorities. It shall be from the twenty-year
needs study which must be prepared after participation with such
local elected officials that the five-year programs provided for in
Section 211 J 211-I shall be prepared.