§ 528 — Powers of the authority

§ 528. Powers of the authority. The authority shall have power\n 1. To acquire, hold and dispose of personal property for its corporate\npurposes;\n 1-a. To hold in the name of the state any real property acquired for\nits corporate purposes and, with the approval of the commissioner, to\nsell, lease, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any real property or\nrights or easements therein, heretofore or hereafter acquired pursuant\nto the "state bridge authority act", determined by it to be not\nnecessary for its corporate purposes, and shall accept ownership of the\nwalkway over the Hudson bridge in the name of the state, and acquire\nsuch incidental roads, approaches, structures and facilities as may be\nnecessary.\n 1-b. To accept from any person gifts of money or property for its\ncorporate purposes.\n 2. To make by-laws for the management and regulation of its affairs;\n 3. With the consent of the commissioner to use the agents, employees\nand facilities of the department, paying its proper proportion of the\ncompensation and expenses of such agents and employees and of the cost\nof such facilities;\n 4. To appoint officers, agents and employees and fix their\ncompensation; subject, however, to the provisions of the civil service\nlaw, which shall apply to the authority as a municipal corporation other\nthan a city;\n 5. To make contracts, and to execute all instruments necessary or\nconvenient;\n 6. To conduct a study regarding traffic congestion and capacity needs\nin and around the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson bridge and to\nmake recommendations concerning reasonable alternatives designed to\nalleviate any known capacity deficiencies in and around such bridge.\nSuch study shall include, but is not limited to an investigation to\ndetermine whether it is in the public interest to construct a new bridge\nover the Hudson river at or near the city of Poughkeepsie and in\nconnection therewith to contract with engineers, surveyors, contractors\nand others for environmental review, preliminary plans, borings, surveys\nand estimates of cost, and if the authority by resolution, and the\ncommissioner in writing filed with the authority, shall determine that\nthe construction of such bridge is in the public interest, to construct\nsuch bridge at a location approved by the commissioner, on lands of the\nstate of New York or lands to be acquired in the name of the state of\nNew York as hereinafter provided, together with incidental roads,\napproaches, structures and facilities, subject to such consents and\napproval of federal authorities in any case as may be necessary.\n 7. To maintain, reconstruct, and operate the bridges so long as its\ncorporate existence shall continue;\n 8. To charge tolls for the use of the bridges, with the exception of\nthe walkway over the Hudson bridge, subject to and in accordance with\nsuch agreements with bondholders and noteholders as may be made as\nhereinafter provided, except, however, that subject to such agreements\nthe rates of tolls charged on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson\nbridge, the Kingston Rhinecliff bridge, the Bear Mountain bridge, the\nRip Van Winkle bridge, and the Hamilton Fish Newburgh-Beacon bridge\nshall be the same.\n 9. To construct and maintain over, or along the bridges, or either of\nthem, telephone, telegraph or electric wires and cables, gas mains,\nwater mains, and other mechanical equipment not inconsistent with the\nuse of the bridges for vehicular traffic, to contract for such\nconstruction and to lease the right to construct and/or use the same on\nsuch terms and for such considerations as it shall determine, provided,\nhowever, that no lease shall be made for a period of more than ten years\nfrom the date when it is made;\n 10. To construct and maintain facilities for the public, not\ninconsistent with the appropriate use of the bridges, to contract for\nsuch construction, and to lease the right to construct and/or use such\nfacilities on such terms and for such considerations as it shall\ndetermine, provided, however, that no lease shall be made for a period\nof more than ten years from the date when it is made;\n 10-a. Subject to the approval of the commissioner, to construct,\nreconstruct and improve highway connections to any of the bridges; the\nconstruction to be under the supervision and control of the commissioner\nas agent of the authority. Upon completion thereof, jurisdiction of such\nconnections to be transferred by the authority to the commissioner who\nshall thereafter maintain such connections in the same manner as other\nhighways maintained by the state;\n 10-b. To contribute and pay over such amount as the authority shall\ndetermine to any city for such city's share of the cost, including\ndamages and expenses, to be borne by or charged against such city for\nthe acquisition of real property acquired by the state within such city\nfor state highways connecting with any of the bridges and approaches\nsituated within a radius of one mile from the nearest bridge abutment.\n 11. To issue negotiable bonds and notes and to provide for the rights\nof the holders thereof;\n 12. To enter on any lands, waters and premises for the purpose of\nmaking surveys, soundings and examinations;\n 13. To advertise the facilities and advantages of the bridges;\n 14. To appoint or designate one or more persons for the purpose of\nenforcing law, order and the observance of the rules and regulations\nestablished by the authority. Each person as and when so appointed or\ndesignated may, during the term of such appointment or designation be\nuniformed and shall be known as a "New York state bridge authority\npatrolman" and shall be a police officer as defined by paragraph (e) of\nsubdivision thirty-four of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law\nand shall have, within the limits of the cities, towns and villages\nwithin which any part of a bridge, or any ferry property, operated by\nthe authority shall be located, all the powers of a constable, marshal,\npolice constable or police officer of a city, town or village in the\nexecution of criminal processes; and criminal process issued by any\ncourt or magistrate of a county, town, city or village within which any\npart of a bridge or any ferry property operated by the authority shall\nbe located, may be directed to and executed by any such patrolman\nnotwithstanding the provisions of any local or special act, ordinance or\nregulation.\n 15. To do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers\nexpressly given in this title.\n 16. To accept grants, loans or contributions from the United States of\nAmerica, the state of New York, or any agency or instrumentality of\neither of them and, subject to any agreement with bondholders or\nnoteholders, to enter into contracts and to execute all instruments\nnecessary or convenient or desirable in connection therewith, including,\nits bonds, notes or other obligation evidencing any such loan from the\nUnited States of America, the state of New York or any agency or\ninstrumentality of either of them.\n 17. To enter into a lease or operating agreement, for a period not to\nexceed ninety-nine years, with the office of parks, recreation and\nhistoric preservation for all or a portion of the walkway over the\nHudson bridge for the purpose of a state park. Such agreement may assign\nor allocate responsibility for the construction, operation, maintenance,\nreplacement and management of the deck and approaches and structures\nproviding public access to the state park, but the authority shall\nretain responsibility for maintaining the superstructure of the walkway\nover the Hudson bridge. The office of parks, recreation and historic\npreservation is authorized to enter into such agreement, which may\ninclude the installation and maintenance by the office of parks,\nrecreation and historic preservation of any personal property and\nequipment used in connection therewith. The office of parks, recreation\nand historic preservation shall propose in its annual budget an amount\nfor all costs and obligations under such agreement and these costs may\nbe supplemented by private donations.\n