70 S T A T. ]
Public Law 811
PUBLIC LAW 811-JULY 26, 1956
669
CHAPTER 743
AN ACT July 26, 1956 Creating the Muscatine Bridge Commission and authorizing said Commission and —[H. R. i lo lO]— its successors to acquire by purchase or condemnation and to construct, maintain, and operate a bridge or bridges across the Mississippi River at or near the city of Muscatine, Iowa, and the town of Drury, Illinois.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, in order to facilitate interstate commerce, improve the postal service, and provide for military and other purposes, the Muscatine Bridge Commission (hereinafter created, and hereinafter referred to as the "commission"), and its successors and assigns be, and are hereby, authorized to construct, maintain, and operate a bridge or bridges and approaches thereto, across the Mississippi River at or near the city of Muscatine, Iowa, and the town of Drury, Rock Island County, Illinois, at a point or points suitable to the interest of navigation, subject to the conditions and limitations contained in this Act, For like purposes said commission, or its successors and assigns, are hereby authorized to acquire by purchase or condemnation, and to reconstruct, maintain, and operate any existing bridge for vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic crossing the Mississippi River at or near the city of Muscatine, Iowa, and may acquire control of any such existing bridge by purchase of stock in any corporation owning any such bridge, or by a conveyance from such corporation, or by purchase or conveyance of any interest in such bridge from an individual, partnership, company, or other legal entity which might have ownership in such bridge, and in any case the existing right or rights, if any, of the city of Muscatine, Iowa, to acquire any such bridge shall be merged into and represented by acquisition thereof by the commission and said commission shall be authorized to maintain and operate said bridge subject to the conditions and limitations contained in this Act: Provided, That the power granted in this Act with respect to the acquisition and purchase of any bridge shall not be exercised by said commission until all terms of the proposed acquisition and purchase of any such bridge shall have been approved by the highway departments of the States of Iowa and Illinois. SEC. 2. Jurisdiction of all condemnation proceedings under this Act for the acquisition of any existing bridge is hereby conferred upon the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, and for such purpose the process of such court may be served outside of the State or district in which such court is located. Such proceedings shall follow as nearly as may be the law of the State of Iowa governing the proceedings for the condemnation of private property for public purposes Dy said State. Copies of any final judgment, decree, or order of such court in any such condemnation proceedings relating to land located outside said district shall be filed with the clerk of the court of the Federal district in which such land is located. In any such condemnation proceedings the commission shall be authorized to condemn all right, title, and interest in the bridge or bridges and approaches, and all right, title, and interest in real property necessary therefor. SEC. 3. There is hereby conferred upon the commission and its successors and assigns the right and power to enter upon such lands and to acquire, condemn, occupy, possess, and use such privately owned real estate and other property in the State of Iowa and the State of Illinois as may be needed for the location and construction of any such bridge or bridges and for the operation and maintenance of any bridge and its approaches hereby authorized to be acquired or constructed, upon maKing just compensation therefor, to be ascertained
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