WM. PRESTON LANE, JR., GOVERNOR. 71

authorized by law to acquire such property or property rights
in connection with highways and streets within Baltimore
City. All property rights and interests acquired under the
provisions of this Act shall be in fee simple except where the
Mayor and City Council of Baltimore may deem other inter-
ests sufficient. In connection with the acquisition of property
or property rights for any contr oiled-access facility or portion
thereof, or service road in connection therewith, the Mayor
and City Council of Baltimore may acquire an entire lot,
block, or tract of land, if, by so doing, the interests of the
public will be best served, even though said entire lot, block
or tract is not immediately needed for the right-of-way proper.

6. (Preference of Condemnation Cases.) Court proceedings
necessary to acquire property or property rights for purposes
of this Act shall take precedence over all other causes not
involving the public interest in all courts, to the end that the
provision of controlled-access facilities may be expedited.

7. (New and Existing Facilities; Grade-Crossing Elimina-
tions.) The Mayor and City Council of Baltimore may desig-
nate and establish controlled-access highways as new and
additional facilities or may designate and establish an exist-
ing street or highway as included within a controlled-access
facility. The Mayor and City Council of Baltimore shall have
authority to provide for the elimination of intersections at
grade of controlled-access facilities with existing streets, by
grade separation or service road, or by closing off such roads
and streets at the right-of-way boundary line of such con-
trolled-access facility; and after the establishment of any
controlled-access facility, no highway or street which is not
part of said facility shall intersect the same at grade. No
city, street, or other public way shall be opened into or con-
nected with any such controlled-access facility without the
consent and previous approval of the Mayor and City Council
of Baltimore. Such consent and approval shall be given only
if the public interest shall be served thereby.

8. (Authority of Local Units to Consent.) The Mayor and
City Council of Baltimore is authorized to enter into agree-
ments with the Federal Government, and/or with the State of
Maryland respecting the financing, planning, establishment,
improvement, maintenance, use, regulation or vacation of
controlled-access facilities or other public ways in Baltimore
City to facilitate the purposes of this Act.

9. (Local Service Roads.) In connection with the develop-
ment of any controlled-access facility, the Mayor and City
Council of Baltimore is authorized to plan, designate, estab-
lish, use, regulate, alter, improve, maintain, and vacate local