(1) "Bank" means the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank.

(2) "Board" means the board of the State Road and Tollway Authority.

(3) "Department of Transportation" means the Georgia Department of Transportation and its successors.

(4) "Eligible costs" means, as applied to a qualified project to be financed from the federal roadway account, the costs that are permitted under applicable federal laws, requirements, procedures, and guidelines in regard to establishing, operating, and providing assistance from the bank. As applied to a qualified project to be financed from the state and local roadway account, these costs include the costs of preliminary engineering, traffic and revenue studies, environmental studies, right of way acquisition, legal and financial services associated with the development of the qualified project, construction, construction management, facilities, and other costs necessary for the qualified project. As applied to any qualified project to be financed from the federal nonroadway account, these costs include the costs of preliminary engineering, traffic and revenue studies, environmental studies, right of way acquisition, legal and financial services associated with the development of the qualified project, construction, construction management, equipment, facilities, and other nonoperating costs necessary for the qualified project. As applied to any qualified project to be financed from the state and local nonroadway account, these costs include the costs of preliminary engineering, traffic and revenue studies, environmental studies, right of way acquisition, legal and financial services associated with the development of the qualified project, construction, construction management, equipment, facilities, and other nonoperating costs necessary for the qualified project.

(5) "Eligible project" means a highway, including bridges, air transport and airport facilities, and rail, or transit or bicycle facility project which provides public benefits by either enhancing mobility and safety, promoting economic development, or increasing the quality of life and general welfare of the public. The term "eligible project" also includes mass transit systems including, but not limited to, monorail and monobeam mass transit systems. There may be included as part of any such project all improvements necessary to the full utilization thereof, including site preparation, roads and streets, sidewalks, water supply, outdoor lighting, belt line railroad sidings and lead tracks, bridges, causeways, terminals for railroad, automotive, and air transportation, transportation facilities incidental to the project, and the dredging and improving of harbors and waterways, none of which foregoing descriptive words shall be construed to constitute a limitation.

(6) "Federal accounts" means, collectively, the separate accounts for federal roadway funds and federal nonroadway funds.

(7) "Financing agreement" means any agreement entered into between the bank and a qualified borrower pertaining to a loan or other financial assistance. This agreement may contain, in addition to financial terms, provisions relating to the regulation and supervision of a qualified project, or other provisions as the board may determine. The term "financing agreement" includes, without limitation, a loan agreement, trust indenture, security agreement, reimbursement agreement, guarantee agreement, bond or note, ordinance or resolution, or similar instrument.

(8) "Government unit" means a municipal corporation, county, community improvement district, or any public operator of transit, including combinations of two or more of these entities, acting jointly to construct, own, or operate a qualified project, or any other state authority, board, commission, agency, or department which may construct, own, or operate a qualified project.

(9) "Loan" means an obligation subject to repayment which is provided by the bank to a qualified borrower for all or a part of the eligible costs of a qualified project. A loan may be disbursed in anticipation of reimbursement for or direct payment of the eligible costs of a qualified project.

(10) "Loan obligation" means a bond, note, or other evidence of an obligation issued by a qualified borrower.

(11) "Other financial assistance" includes, but shall not be limited to, grants, contributions, credit enhancement, capital or debt reserves for bonds or debt instrument financing, interest rate subsidies, provision of letters of credit and credit instruments, provision of bond or other debt financing instrument security, and other lawful forms of financing and methods of leveraging funds that are approved by the board, and, in the case of federal funds, as allowed by federal law.

(12) "Project revenues" or "revenues" means all rates, rents, fees, assessments, charges, and other receipts derived or to be derived by a qualified borrower from a qualified project or made available from a special source, and, as provided in the applicable financing agreement, derived from any system of which the qualified project is a part or from any other revenue producing facility under the ownership or control of the qualified borrower including, without limitation, proceeds of grants, gifts, appropriations and loans, including the proceeds of loans made by the bank, investment earnings, reserves for capital and current expenses, proceeds of insurance or condemnation and proceeds from the sale or other disposition of property and from any other special source as may be provided by the qualified borrower.

(13) "Qualified borrower" means any government unit authorized to construct, operate, or own a qualified project.

(14) "Qualified project" means an eligible project which has been selected by the bank to receive a loan or other financial assistance from the bank to defray an eligible cost.

(15) "State and local accounts" means, collectively, the separate accounts for state and local roadway funds and state and local nonroadway funds.