Chap. 61.—An ACT to further the interests of national security by authorizing the
State Highway Commission at the request of the Army and Navy Departments,
Public Roads Administration or other agency of the United States, to construct
and maintain or cooperate in the construction and maintenance of flight strips,
airfields, and roads leading thereto and to acquire by gift, purchase, or the exer-
cise of the power of eminent domain such property as may be needed for such
purposes; to authorize the conveyance of such flight strips, airfields and roads
to, or the use of the same by, the United States; and to authorize the sale and
conveyance of property acquired, but no longer needed, for such flight strips,
airhelds or roads, and to declare an emergency. [S 119]

Approved February 26, 1944

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia :

1. That in order to further the interests of national security, the
State Highway Commission may, at the request of the Army and Navy
Departments, Public Roads Administration, or other agency of the
United States of America, construct and maintain, or cooperate with any
such Federal Agency in the construction and maintenance of flight strips,
airfields, and roads leading thereto from public highways. To carry out
this purpose the State Highway Commission, acting through the State
Highway Commissioner, may acquire in the name of the Commonwealth
by gift, purchase or by the exercise of the power of eminent domain such
real property, or interest therein, including the rights in the air above
real property, as may be needed for such flight strips, airfields and roads.
The exercise of the power of eminent domain hereby conferred shall be
in the same manner and pursuant to the same procedure that 1s now, or
may hereafter be, provided by law for the acquisition of real property
by the State Highway Commission for highway purposes, and in order
that the construction work may proceed without delay, the State High-
way Commission may, in the same manner and under the same condi-
tions and procedure as is provided in the case of real property needed
for highway purposes, enter upon and take possession of such real prop-
erty as may be needed for the purpose of this act, and proceed with the
construction work prior to the acquisition of title to the property in con-
demnation proceedings. In carrying out the purpose of this act, the State
Highway Commission may expend only such funds as may be provided
for such purposes by the Federal Government. |

If requested to do so by the agency of the United States of America
which provided the funds with which the State Highway Commission
acquired the property for any such flight strips, airfields or roads, the
State Highway Commission may authorize and direct the State Highway
Commissioner to convey, by deed executed in the name of the Common-
wealth of Virginia, such property to the United States to be used in the
interests of national security. If title to such property is retained by the
Commonwealth of Virginia, the State Highway Commission may author-
ize any agency of the United States to use such property to further the
interest of national security. Whenever the State Highway Commission
finds that property heretofore or hereafter acquired by it for any such
flight strips, airfields or roads is no longer needed for the purpose for
which it was acquired, it may sell the same for such consideration as it
deems adequate to any private person, firm or corporation and may
authorize and direct the State Highway Commissioner to execute a deed
in the name of the Commonwealth of Virginia conveying such property
to the purchaser. The proceeds from any such sale shall be paid into the
Treasury of Virginia to the credit of the highway fund unless the terms of
any grant to the State Highway Commission or the Commonwealth of
Virginia provide otherwise, in which case such proceeds shall be dis-
posed of in accordance with the terms of such grant.

2. An emergency existing, this act shall be in force from its passage.