36 Pa. Stat. § 3503.4

Current through Pa Acts 2024-53, 2024-56 through 2024-95
Section 3503.4 - Acquisition of property
(a) Condemnation.--
(1) For the effectuation of any of its purposes authorized by this act, the Authority is hereby granted, in addition to and in support of 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 land and other property which it may determine is reasonably necessary for the facilities referred to in this act or for the construction thereof as the Authority shall deem necessary, and any and all rights, titles and interest in such land and other property, including public lands, parks, playgrounds, reservations, highways or parkways, owned by or in which any public body of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the State of New Jersey 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 or restrictions upon, abutting property to preserve and protect such facilities, the approaches, rail and highway connections thereto.
(2) Upon the exercise of the power of eminent domain under this act, the compensation to be paid with regard to property located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall be ascertained and paid as provided by the act of June 22, 1964 (Sp. Sess., P.L. 84, No. 6), known as the Eminent Domain Code, insofar as the provisions thereof are applicable and not inconsistent with the provisions of the Compact and of this act.
(3) Upon the exercise of the power of eminent domain under this act, 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 Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey insofar as the provisions thereof are applicable and not inconsistent with the provisions of the Compact and of this act.
(4) The Authority may join, in separate subdivisions in one petition, declaration or complaint, the descriptions of any number of trade or parcels of land or property to be condemned and the names of any number of owners and other parties who may have an interest therein. All such land or property included in the petition, declaration or complaint may be condemned in a single proceeding; provided, however, that separate awards shall be made for each tract or parcel of land or property; and provided further, that each of said tracts or parcels of land or property lies wholly in or has a substantial part of its value lying wholly within the same county.
(b) New Jersey public utilities.--In addition to any other powers heretofore or hereafter granted to it, the Authority, in connection with construction or operation of the projects authorized by this act, 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 subsection called "works") 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 such projects the Authority shall determine that it is necessary that any such works, which are now or hereafter may be located in, on, along, over or under such projects shall 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 Authority, provided, however, that the cost and expenses of such relocations 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 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 Authority 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 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.
(c) Pennsylvania public utilities.--Whenever the Authority acquires under this section the whole or any part of the right-of-way of a public utility located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Authority 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 Authority 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 Authority. 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 Authority, 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.
(d) Utility rights-of-way.--The 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 Authority 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 right-of-way is to be acquired by purchase, the Authority 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.
(e) Application of section.--This section shall have no application to the relocation of public utility facilities located in the beds of public streets, roads or highways.

36 P.S. § 3503.4

1990, July 11, P.L. 481, No. 115, § 4, imd. effective.