Chap. 380.—An ACT to authorize the State Highway Commissioner to acquire
by gift, purchase or condemnation land, easements, rights of way or ether
interest in land adjacent to or near land needed for any highway project and
to convey the same to public utility companies to be used by them in lieu of
other land, easements, rights of way or other interest in land owned by them
but needed for such highway project; to give the State Highway Commissioner
certain powers with respect to such property. [S11]

Approved March 31, 1944

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That whenever any public utility company owns any land or any
easement, right of way or other interest in land which the State High-
way Commissioner deems necessary and intends to acquire for any high-
way project, and such land, easement, right of way or other interest in
land owned by the public utility company is devoted to a public use, the
State Highway Commissioner may acquire by gift, purchase, or by the
exercise of the power of eminent domain additional land or a like ease-
ment, right of way or interest in land adjacent to or approximately ad-
jacent to such land needed and proposed to be acquired for such highway
project and may then convey the same to the said public utility com-
pany for use by it in lieu of the land, or easement, right of way or other
interest in land theretofore owned by it but needed by the State Highway
Commissioner for such highway project. The condemnation of such land,
easement, rights of way or other interest in land to be conveyed to any
public utility company shall be governed by the procedure prescribed bv
chapter three hundred eighty of the Acts of Assembly of Virginia of
nineteen hundred and forty, as amended, and may be carried out at the
same time if against the same property owner and if against the same
landowner in the same proceedings in which land is condemned for
highway purposes. The State Highway Commissioner may, under the
same procedure and conditions prescribed by chapter three hundred
eighty of the Acts of Assembly of Virginia of nineteen hundred and
forty, as amended, with respect to property needed for highway purposes.
enter upon and take possession of such property to be conveyed to any
public utility company prior to the acquisition of title thereto in con-
demnation proceedings, and proceed with the relocation of the install-
ations of the public utility company in order that the construction of the
highway project may be carried out without delay.