(a) In the event of the destruction of any segment of a state highway due to a natural disaster, when that segment remains out of service for five years or more, the department may, for purposes of mitigating the effects of increased traffic and noise on alternate state highways, use funds from the State Highway Account in the State Transportation Fund sufficient in amount to meet the state’s required matching share of the costs of construction of noise attenuation barriers on any alternate state highway where traffic has increased due to the destruction of that segment if the construction of those barriers is eligible for at least 25 percent funding from federal emergency relief funds and otherwise meets the requirements of Section 215.5. That amount is hereby appropriated to the department from that account, as a loan, that shall be repaid from funds made available under subdivision (d) of Section 215.5 for that construction.

(b) For purposes of this section, “natural disaster” has the meaning as defined in § 8680.3 of the Government Code.

(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 1241, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1993.)