32:3-13.42. Additional purposes and powers and duties of commission
ARTICLE XII-B
(1) In addition to other public purposes provided for it and other powers and duties conferred upon it, and not in limitation thereof, and notwithstanding the provisions of any other article hereof, the commission shall have among its authorized purposes, and it shall have the power to effectuate, the construction, operation and maintenance of a bridge for vehicular traffic across the Delaware river, between a point or points in the township of Logan, New Jersey, and a point or points in the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, including approaches thereto.
(2) In addition to other public purposes provided for it and other powers and duties conferred upon it, and not in limitation thereof, and notwithstanding the provisions of any other article hereof, the commission shall have among its authorized purposes, and it shall have the power to effectuate, the establishment, rehabilitation, equipment, construction, maintenance and operation of ferries for passengers and vehicular traffic over and across the Delaware river within the Port District between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey. Such ferries may be established either directly by purchase, lease or contract, or by lease or agreement with any other public or private body or corporation, or in any other manner, and may be established by utilizing any existing ferries within the Port District across the Delaware river between said Commonwealth and said State and by the construction or provision of new facilities where deemed necessary. Any such ferry may include such approach highways and interests in land or other property necessary therefor in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the State of New Jersey as may be determined by the commission to be necessary to facilitate the flow of traffic in the vicinity of any such ferry or to connect any such ferry with the highway system or other traffic facilities in said Commonwealth or said State.
(3)(a) For the effectuation of any of its purposes authorized by this article, the commission is hereby granted, in addition to any other powers heretofore or hereafter granted to it, power and authority to acquire in its name by purchase or otherwise, on such terms and conditions and in such manner as it may deem proper, or by the exercise of the power of eminent domain any such land and other property which it may determine is reasonably necessary to acquire for any of its purposes authorized by this article and any and all rights, title and interest in such land and other property, including public lands, parks, playgrounds, reservations, highways, or parkways, owned by or in which any county, city, borough, town, township, village, or other political subdivision of the State of New Jersey or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has any right, title or interest, or parts thereof or rights therein and any fee simple absolute or any lesser interest in private property, and any fee simple absolute in, easements upon, or the benefit of restrictions upon, abutting property to preserve and protect such land and other property. Upon the exercise of the power of eminent domain under this paragraph, the compensation to be paid with regard to property located in the State of New Jersey shall be ascertained and paid in the manner provided in Title 20 of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey insofar as the provisions thereof are applicable and not inconsistent with the provisions contained in this paragraph, and with regard to property located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall be ascertained and paid in the manner provided by the act approved July 9, 1919 (Pamphlet Laws 814) and acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, insofar as the provisions are applicable and not inconsistent with the provisions contained in this paragraph. The commission may join in separate subdivisions in one petition or complaint the descriptions of any number of tracts or parcels of such land and other property to be condemned and the names of any number of owners and other parties who may have an interest therein and all such land and other property included in said petition or complaint may be condemned in a single proceeding; provided, however, that separate awards shall be made for each tract or parcel of such land or other property; and provided further, that each of said tracts or parcels of such land or other property lies wholly in or has a substantial part of its value lying wholly within the same county.
(b) Whenever the commission acquires under this paragraph (3) the whole or any part of the right of way of a public utility located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the commission shall, at its own expense, provide a substitute right of way on another and favorable location. Such public utility shall thereupon provide for the transfer to or reconstruction upon, in, under or above said substitute right of way of any structures and facilities of said public utility located upon, in, under or above said original right of way at the time the same is so acquired. The commission is hereby authorized to enter into agreements with such public utility to contribute toward the expense of such transfer or reconstruction, and in the event that they are unable to agree on the amount to be paid, the matter shall be referred to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, which shall, after hearing thereon, make a finding of the amount to be paid to such public utility by the commission. In case of failure of such public utility, within a reasonable time after notice so to do, to remove its facilities to such substitute right of way, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission shall have jurisdiction, on petition of the commission, to order such transfer or reconstruction. Any party to such proceedings shall have the right of appeal from the ruling of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The Delaware River Port Authority is hereby authorized to acquire, by purchase or by the exercise of the power of eminent domain, any necessary land or right of way for the relocation of any such public utility right of way and facilities. The substitute right of way thus acquired shall be equal in estate to the original right of way acquired from the public utility, and the commission shall deliver to the public utility a deed, duly executed and acknowledged, conveying to it an estate in the substitute right of way, at least equal to that owned by the public utility in the original right of way, or if such substitute right of way is to be acquired by purchase, the commission shall procure and deliver to the public utility a deed conveying such estate to it from the owner of the land on which such substitute right of way is located.
This subparagraph (b) shall have no application to the relocation of public utility facilities located in the beds of public streets, roads or highways.
(c) In addition to any other powers heretofore or hereafter granted to it, the commission, in connection with construction or operation of any project for the effectuation of any of its purposes authorized by this article, shall have power to make reasonable regulations for the installation, construction, maintenance, repair, renewal, relocation and removal of tracks, pipes, mains, conduits, cables, wires, towers, poles or any other equipment and appliances (in this subparagraph (c) called "works" ) located in the State of New Jersey of any public utility as defined in section 48:2-13 of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey, in, on, along, over or under any such project. Whenever in connection with the construction or operation of any such project the commission shall determine that it is necessary that any such works, which now are or hereafter may be located in, on, along, over or under any such project should be relocated in such project, or should be removed therefrom, the public utility owning or operating such works shall relocate or remove the same in accordance with the order of the commission, provided, however, that, the cost and expenses of such relocation or removal, including the cost of installing such works in a new location or new locations, and the cost of any lands or any rights or interest in lands or any other rights acquired to accomplish such relocation or removal, less the cost of any lands or any rights or interests in lands or any other rights of the public utility paid to the public utility in connection with the relocation or removal of such works, shall be paid by the commission and shall be included in the cost of such project. In case of any such relocation or removal of works as aforesaid, the public utility owning or operating the same, its successors or assigns, may maintain and operate such works, with the necessary appurtenances, in the new location or new locations for as long a period, and upon the same terms and conditions, as it had the right to maintain and operate such works in their former location.
In case of any such relocation or removal of works, as aforesaid, the commission shall own and maintain, repair and renew structures within the rights of way of railroad companies carrying any such project over railroads, and the commission shall bear the cost of maintenance, repair and renewal of structures within the rights of way of railroad companies carrying railroads over any such project, but this provision shall not relieve any railroad company from responsibility for damage caused to any authority or railroad structure by the operation of its railroad. Such approaches, curbing, sidewalk paving, guardrails on approaches and surface paving on such projects as shall be within the rights of way of a railroad company or companies shall be owned and maintained, repaired and renewed by the commission; rails, pipes and lines shall be owned and maintained, repaired and renewed by the railroad company or companies.
(4) The power and authority granted in this article to the commission to construct new or additional approach highways shall not be exercised unless and until the Department of Highways of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall have filed with the commission its written approval as to approach highways to be located in said Commonwealth and the State Highway Department of the State of New Jersey shall have filed with the commission its written approval as to approach highways to be located in said State.
(5) The effectuation of any of the purposes authorized by this article, and the exercise or performance by the commission of any of its powers or duties in connection with effectuation of any such purpose, shall not be subject to any restrictions, limitation or provisions provided for or set forth in Article XII hereof. The bridge or ferries referred to in this article may be established, constructed or erected by the commission notwithstanding the terms and provisions of any other agreement between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey.
(6) The commission shall not construct or erect the bridge referred to in this article unless and until the Governor of the State of New Jersey and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall have filed with the commission their written consents to such construction or erection.
(7) The commission is hereby granted the following powers in addition to any other powers heretofore or hereafter granted to it:
(a) To abandon, close off, dismantle, sell or otherwise dispose of, any project or facility, or any part thereof, or any other property, which the commission may determine to be no longer useful or necessary for public use.
(b) To effectuate any of its authorized purposes either directly or indirectly by or through wholly owned subsidiary corporations. Any such subsidiary corporation shall be a public corporate instrumentality of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey for such purposes and shall be deemed to be exercising an essential governmental function in effectuating such purposes. Any such subsidiary corporation and any of its property, functions and activities shall have such of the privileges, immunities, tax and other exemptions of the commission and of the commission's property, functions and activities, and such of the rights, powers and duties of the commission, as the commission shall determine.
(8) The power of the commission, which is hereby confirmed, to purchase, construct, lease, finance, operate, maintain and own a terminal facility consisting in whole or in part of a parking area or place, garage, building, improvement, structure, or other accommodation for the parking or storage of motor or other vehicles, including all real or personal property necessary or desirable in connection therewith, shall, notwithstanding any other provision of this agreement, be exercised only at such place, in the vicinity of and in connection with, or as a part of any bridge, tunnel, ferry, railroad, rapid transit system, transportation or terminal facility, as the commission may determine to be necessary or desirable.
L.1963, c. 92, s. 1. Amended by L.1964, c. 124, s. 1.
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Last modified: October 11, 2016