Sec. 20. (a) The department shall expend out of any funds available for the purpose such money as may be necessary for the study of any toll road project or projects and to use its engineering and other forces, including consulting engineers and traffic engineers, for the purpose of effecting such study.

     (b) All such expenses incurred by the department before the issuance of toll road revenue bonds under the provisions of this chapter shall be paid by the department and charged to the appropriate toll road project or projects, and the department shall keep proper records and accounts showing each amount so charged.

     (c) Upon the sale of toll road revenue bonds for any project or projects, the fund so expended by the department in connection with such project or projects shall be reimbursed to the department from the proceeds of bonds. If any project or projects for which a study has been made is abandoned for any reason, then the costs of any such study or studies shall be paid out of any uncommitted funds of the authority, and if not so paid, the cost of any such study or studies shall be included in any subsequent issue of bonds for any other project or projects unless such inclusion would so increase the amount of bonds to be issued that in the judgment of the authority such inclusion would render the bonds unsaleable.

     (d) In conducting any study of the feasibility of a toll road project, the department shall include an investigation of the economic effect of the construction of a highway on the communities served by that highway. The department shall determine the extent of the economic enhancement that would result from the construction of a toll road project for the purpose of quantifying the enhancement.

Formerly: Acts 1951, c.281, s.20; Acts 1971, P.L.99, SEC.7. As amended by Acts 1980, P.L.74, SEC.253; P.L.109-1983, SEC.26; P.L.68-1988, SEC.14.