36 Pa. Stat. § 3424
The said joint commission is hereby authorized and empowered, and it shall be its duty, to have prepared the necessary and proper plans and specifications for the construction of the bridge, to select the location for the same, determine the size, type, and method of construction thereof, to plan and fix its boundaries and approaches, to make all necessary estimates of the probable cost of its construction and the acquisition of the ground for its site and approaches, to proceed to acquire the ground for the sites of the abutments and the approaches to the bridge in the manner hereinafter provided, to enter into the necessary contracts to build and equip the entire bridge and the approaches thereto, to build the substructure and superstructure thereof, to obtain such consent as may be necessary of the Government of the United States and the approval of the Secretary of War, and to cause a survey and map to be made of all lands, structures, rights of way, franchises, easements, or other interests in lands lying within the Commonwealth, including lands under water and riparian rights, owned by any person, corporation or municipality, the acquisition of which may be deemed necessary for the construction of such bridge, and to cause such map and survey to be filed in its office. The members of said joint commission, or the members of the Pennsylvania commission acting independently, its or their agents and employés, may enter upon such lands, structures, and lands under water, notwithstanding any interests in such lands or other interests, for the purpose of making such survey and map. There shall be annexed to the survey and map a certificate issued by the joint commission stating what lands, structures, lands under water, and other interests described in such survey and map are necessary for the construction of said bridge; and said joint commission is hereby authorized and empowered, and it shall be its duty, to do and perform all acts and things whatsoever necessary for the carrying out of the provisions of this act Provided, however, That the said joint commission shall not proceed to exercise or carry out any authority or power herein or hereby given it to bind the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania beyond the extent to which the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall have appropriated or made available to said joint commission the moneys hereinbefore stipulated as the share of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Said moneys, contributed or made available by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, shall be disbursed to said joint commission by the State Treasurer, on warrants to be drawn by the joint commission on the Auditor General of the Commonwealth and payable on vouchers submitted to him by the joint commission: Provided further, That the said joint commission shall not proceed to exercise or carry out any authority or power herein or hereby given until the State of New Jersey by appropriate legislation shall first have vested like powers herewith in said joint commission, and beyond the extent to which the State of New Jersey shall have appropriated or made available to the said joint commission the moneys hereinbefore stipulated as the share of that State for providing the cost of acquiring the land for the approaches to and for the erection and construction of the approaches and the superstructure of said bridge; said moneys, appropriated or made available by said State, to be payable to said joint commission upon warrants drawn by said joint commission when duly signed by the proper fiscal officer of the State of New Jersey: And provided further, That said joint commission shall not proceed to exercise or carry out any authority or power herein or hereby given it beyond the extent to which the city of Philadelphia shall have appropriated or made available to said joint commission the moneys hereinbefore stipulated as the share of the city of Philadelphia in providing the cost of acquiring land for the approaches to and the erection and construction of the approaches and the superstructure of said bridge; said moneys to be disbursed on warrants drawn by the said joint commission on the city treasury of the city of Philadelphia, countersigned by the city controller, and payable by the city treasurer to said joint commission on vouchers duly submitted to him by the joint commission; and it shall thereupon be the duty of the city treasurer of the city of Philadelphia to pay said warrants.
All moneys expended or appropriated to be expended for the purposes of this act shall be used and expended under the supervision of said joint commission, and no contracts or agreements with any contractor or contractors for the construction of such bridge exceeding in amount the sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) shall be made without advertisement for bids for such time and in such manner as shall be determined by said joint commission.
36 P.S. § 3424