1988 SURVEYOR AND STATE SURVEY. [ART. 91

company or otherwise, or whether formerly maintained as such and now
abandoned by any turnpike company, or that any public road in whole or
in part in any county or counties, and forming a section of a through
route or continuous thoroughfare between two or more important points
in the State, should be taken charge of by said commission for the State
for the purposes of this act, then, as to such public road or abandoned or
acquired turnpike, whether acquired by purchase or condemnation, the
said commission shall file a certified copy of the plan thereof in the office
of the county commissioners for the county or the several counties in
which said section or sections of road or turnpike may be situated, and
setting forth its purpose to acquire and to take over the same, and said
commission thereupon, without any further procedure, shall acquire and
take over any such and all county roads, turnpikes or sections thereof or
interests or rights therein, as in its judgment may be necessary or proper
for the purpose of this act, and with full power to widen, relocate, change
or alter the grade or location thereof; and said commission shall have full
power so to take over and take possession of any county road or aban-
doned turnpike, and to accept by gift or surrender, and to acquire by
purchase or condemnation, any and all existing turnpipes or any sections
thereof, or any rights or interests therein, subject to any outstanding
occupation, use or franchise of any electric railway company or other
public service corporation; and thereafter all highways, however
acquired hereinunder, shall be State highways and shall be constructed,
improved and maintained by said commission for the State and at its
expense, except as provided in section 34.

1908. ch. 141, sec. 32 n. 1910, ch. 218. sec. 32 D (p. 300). 1910. ch. 721,

sec. 32 D (p. 298).

36. The said commission, when about to construct or improve in any
manner any highway, shall give the county commissioners of each county
in which it lies a certified copy of plans and specifications therefor, and
a notice that said commission is about to enter upon and proceed with the
work in question. Said commission shall thereupon advertise for at least
two weeks in one or more newspapers published in each county in which
the highway lies, and for three consecutive issues in at least one daily
newspaper published in Baltimore city, for sealed proposals for the con-
struction or other improvements of said highway, accurately describing
the same and stating the time and place for opening said proposals, and
reserving the right to reject any and all proposals; said proposals shall be
publicly opened at the time specified in said advertisement, and the con-
tract for such work or for the supplies and materials required for such
construction or work or for the supplies and materials required for such
construction or improvement shall be awarded by the commission to the
lowest responsible bidder, unless, in the opinion of said commission, the
interests of the State shall be better served by awarding the contract to
some other bidder, when this may be done; but said commission shall not
be required so to advertise for proposals or to award any contract for any
work or for any materials or supplies for any amount less than five hun-