As used in sections 227.551 to 227.559, the following terms shall mean:

(1) “Act of God”, an unanticipated grave natural disaster or other natural phenomenon of an exceptional, inevitable, and irresistible character, the effects of which could not have been prevented or avoided by the exercise of due care or foresight;

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(2) “Commission,” the highways and transportation commission created under section 226.020 and Article IV, § 29 of the Missouri Constitution, the director, or designees of the director for the purpose of section 227.240 and sections 227.551 to 227.558;

(3) “Construction project”, all contracts for construction of state highways let under section 227.100, except for contracts for maintenance or resurfacing determined by the commission not to conflict with public utilities and routine maintenance and repairs completed by employees of the commission. This term shall also include state highway construction projects of transportation development districts and corporations under chapter 238 if such projects are awarded pursuant to section 227.100. The term “construction project” shall not include projects for road beautification, road irrigation, and drainage projects, culvert installation or repair, sound wall installation, decorative lighting, landscaping, or other projects not directly related to improving or routing highway traffic. The term “construction project” shall also not include any project authorized by the commission to accommodate any private development, including a shopping mall, stadium, office building, or arena;

(4) “Contractor”, any person entering into a contract with the highways and transportation commission for purposes of completing a construction project on a state highway, including a subcontractor or supplier to such contractor;

(5) “Customer delays”, delays in the relocation work due to delays caused by the utility’s customers, including but not limited to delays in getting written or oral approvals from customers for permissible utility service cut-over dates;

(6) “Cut-over date”, the date utility owner interrupts utility service to a utility customer provided through an existing utility facility and switches the service over to a new utility facility serving the customer;

(7) “Day” or “days”, a business day or a period of consecutive business days consisting of every workday excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays;

(8) “Director”, the director of the Missouri department of transportation appointed pursuant to section 226.040;

(9) “Extreme weather event”, a severe weather occurrence, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, wind, hurricane, storm, ice, abnormal rainfall, blizzard, or extended periods of severe inclement weather;

(10) “Letting date”, the date established by the commission for the acceptance of bids by contractors under section 227.100;

(11) “Mail”, a dated written transmittal sent to the addressee by regular or certified mail;

(12) “Maintenance”, routine work performed on state highways by employees of the commission or contractors to the commission, including minor pavement and shoulder repairs, striping, grading, irrigation ditch clearing, street overlays, and other work determined by the commission not to conflict with public utilities;

(13) “Notice to proceed”, notice by the commission to a contractor to proceed with work on a contract awarded by the commission;

(14) “Owner”, the individual, firm, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association, cooperative, municipality, county, district, political subdivision, department, agency, or any other institution owning or operating utility facilities;

(15) “Project plans”, any plan for highway construction projects demonstrating the need to design and conduct utility facility alterations or relocations due to the work;

(16) “Relocate” or “relocation”, the adjustment of utility facilities, as the commission or director may determine is necessary in connection with the construction of a state highway. Relocation includes:

(a) Removing and reinstalling the utility facility, including necessary temporary facilities;

(b) Moving, rearranging, or changing the type of existing utility facilities; and

(c) Taking any necessary safety and protective measures;

(17) “Relocation plan,” a plan designed by the owner to carry out utility facility relocation work to accommodate a construction project on a state highway;

(18) “Resurfacing”, work which provides a new roadway surface for existing pavement on a state highway, including minor base patching, intersection paving, shoulder work, and guardrail work which is determined by the commission not to conflict with public utilities;

(19) “State highway”, a highway constructed or maintained at the cost of the state or constructed with the aid of state funds or United States government funds or any highway included by authority of law in the state highway system or any highway constructed under the authority of a transportation development district or corporation under chapter 238 where such contract is awarded under section 227.100;

(20) “Utility contractor”, a person contracting with an owner of a utility facility or a subcontractor to a person contracting with an owner of a utility facility, for the alteration relocation or installation of a utility facility in connection with a construction project on a state highway;

(21) “Utility facility”, any underground facility as defined in section 319.015 and aboveground facilities, including poles, lines, wires, and appurtenances for the purposes of electrical power, telephone, telegraph, fiber optic and cable television services, and any other purpose for^* which aboveground utility facilities may be located along state highways;

(22) “Work”, construction and services required of the contractor by the contractor’s contract with the commission, including excavation as that term is defined in section 319.015.