                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

ACQUISITION OF INTERESTS FOR EXCHANGE WITH RAILROAD, PUBLIC UTILITY COMPANY,
PUBLIC SERVICE CORPORATION OR COMPANY, POLITICAL SUBDIVISION, OR CABLE
TELEVISION COMPANY; RELOCATION OF POLES, LINES, ETC (§ 33.2-1014)

Whenever any railroad, public utility company, public service corporation or
company, political subdivision, or cable television company owns or occupies any
privately owned land either under a claim of right or with the apparent
acquiescence of the private landowner which the Commissioner of Highways deems
necessary and intends to acquire for any highway project, and such land owned or
occupied by the railroad, public utility company, public service corporation or
company, political subdivision, or cable television company is devoted to a
public use, the Commissioner of Highways may acquire by gift, purchase, or by
the exercise of the power of eminent domain additional land or easement,
right-of-way, or interest in land adjacent to or approximately adjacent to such
land needed and proposed to be acquired for such highway project and may then
convey the same to the railroad, public utility company, public service
corporation or company, political subdivision, or cable television company for
use by it in lieu of the land theretofore owned or occupied by it but needed by
the Commissioner of Highways for such highway project. The condemnation of such
land, easement, right-of-way, or other interest in land to be conveyed to any
railroad, public utility company, public service corporation or company,
political subdivision, or cable television company shall be governed by the
procedure prescribed by this article and may be carried out at the same time if
against the same property owner and if against the same landowner or in the same
proceedings in which land is condemned for highway purposes. The Commissioner of
Highways may, under the same procedure and conditions prescribed by this
article, with respect to property needed for highway purposes, enter upon and
take possession of such property to be conveyed to any railroad, public utility
company, public service corporation or company, political subdivision, or cable
television company in the manner provided in §§ 33.2-1018 through 33.2-1027
and proceed with the relocation of the installations of the railroad or public
utility company in order that the construction of the highway project may be
carried out without delay.
		After the acquisition of the land owned or occupied by railroads, public
utility companies, public service corporations or companies, political
subdivisions, or cable television companies and the acquisition of the
additional land, easement, right-of-way, or other interest in land for such
railroads, utility companies, public service corporations or companies,
political subdivisions, or cable television companies as provided in this
section, in the event the poles, lines, or other facilities are not removed by
such railroads or utility companies within 60 days from the date of the taking
by the Commissioner of Highways, the Commissioner of Highways is vested with the
power to remove and relocate such facilities at his own cost.
		Any conveyance previously made by the Commissioner of Highways in exchange for
land that was needed for a highway project is hereby declared to be valid and
effective in all respects.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 33-58; 1960, c. 491; 1968, c. 227; 1970, c. 322, §
33.1-96; 1976, c. 380; 1990, c. 242; 2014, c. 805.