§17-4-25. Acquisition, establishment and operation of quarries, cement and other plants.

For the purpose of obtaining materials to be used in the construction and maintenance of state roads and highways, the state road commissioner is hereby authorized and empowered, on behalf of the state, to establish stone quarries, stone crushing plants, brick kilns, cement plants, and other plants deemed by him needful or necessary in the prosecution of his work, and to acquire lands and appurtenances requisite thereto. The commissioner shall also have the power to rent, purchase, condemn or acquire by any other lawful method, stone quarries, gravel, clay, sand, and other deposits, with rights-of-way thereto, and wharves, landings, switches and storage places for shipping or receiving materials; hire or purchase all means of transportation for the same; remove such materials from such lands and other places; prepare such materials for use; manufacture such materials into road-making products; purchase all necessary machinery, tools and other equipment; make such contracts and employ such labor as may be needful or necessary to establish and operate such plants; acquire, prepare, manufacture and transport such materials for use, and to do all other things needful or necessary in connection with the purchase, production, accumulation and distribution of such materials for the uses aforesaid. All costs and expenses incidental thereto shall be paid out of the state road fund. The commissioner may sell the surplus of such materials, products or equipment to any county or municipality of the state, or to any person, firm or corporation, at not less than actual cost, when the same are to be used exclusively in the building of roads, streets and alleys in this state. The commissioner shall pay to the State Treasurer the funds received therefor, to be credited to the state road fund.

The commissioner is empowered to enter into contracts with the proper authorities of other states to establish, jointly, plants for the preparation and manufacture of cement, brick, stone and other materials to be used in the construction of roads as provided herein, and to operate jointly such plants, acquire all materials and do all other things necessary for such operation, and the disposition of the products thereof, for the more economic prosecution of the work of building and maintaining public roads.