§17-16F-9. Public purpose of activities; property of public utilities and common carriers.

(a) The division is authorized to acquire any lands or interests pursuant to this article. The planning, acquisition, establishment, construction, improvement, maintenance, and operation of public port, railroad, transit, airport, or air navigation facilities, whether by the state separately or jointly with any municipalities and the exercise of any other powers granted to the division are declared to be public and governmental functions, exercised for a public purpose, and matters of public necessity. All lands and other property and privileges acquired and used by or on behalf of the state in the manner and for the purposes enumerated in this article are declared to be acquired and used for governmental purposes and as a matter of public necessity.

(b) The division shall take or distribute property or facilities belonging to any public utility or to a common carrier, which property or facilities are required for the proper and convenient operation of such public utility or common carrier, if provision is made for the restoration, relocation, or duplication of such property or facilities elsewhere at the cost of the division.

(c) The division shall make reasonable policies for the installation, construction, maintenance, repair, renewal, relocation, and removal of railroad or public utility facilities in, on, over or under any public port, railroad, airport, or air navigation facility project. Whenever the division determines that any such facilities installed or constructed in, on, over, or under property of the division pursuant to such policies must be relocated, the railroad or public utility owning or operating such facilities shall relocate or remove them in accordance with the order of the division. The cost and expenses of such relocation or removal, including the cost of installing such facilities in a new location, the cost of any lands or any rights or interests in lands and the cost of any other rights acquired to accomplish such relocation or removal, may be paid by the division as a part of the cost of such project.

(d) When relocating or removing facilities, the railroad or public utility owning or operating them, and its successors or assigns, shall maintain, and operate such facilities, with the necessary appurtenances in the new location in, on, over, or under the property of the division for as long a period and upon the same terms as it had the right to maintain and operate such facilities in their former location.

(e) In the condemnation of property authorized by this section, the division shall proceed in the name of the State in the manner provided by chapter 54 of this code.