Theodore R. McKeldin, Governor                   165

the property to be acquired upon the recording of plats contain-
ing certain information and upon the payment of certain monies-
AND PROVIDING WHEN THE VALUE OF CERTAIN PROP-
ERTY NEEDED FOR RIGHT OF WAY PURPOSES SHALL BE
DETERMINED; providing that certain information and plans of
the State Roads Commission be not public records under certain
conditions; providing for the creation of a Board of Property
Review and setting forth to a certain extent its powers and
duties; providing for an appeal from the findings of said Board;
providing for authority to condemn land for other than highway
purposes in certain cases?; and providing that certain pending
condemnation cases may be determined by the Board and for an
appeal therefrom, , AND PROVIDING FOR A METHOD OF
HANDLING RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITIONS THAT ARE IN
THE PROCESS OF NEGOTIATION ON THE EFFECTIVE
DATE OF THIS ACT.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That eleven new sections be and they are hereby added to Article
89B of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1951 Edition), title "State
Roads", said new sections to be known as Section 9A through 9K,
and to follow immediately after Section 9 of said Article and to read
as follows:

9 A. In cases where the State Roads Commission decides to con-
struct a new highway or decides to make a major improvement to
an existing highway, the Commission shall adhere^ to the hereinafter
described procedure for acquiring, by condemnation, land and prop-
erty rights for such highway construction or improvement. Insofar
as practicable, the Commission shall use such condemnation proce-
dure in acquiring rights of way and property rights for major high-
way construction or reconstruction, but in cases where the Commis-
sion deems the procedure inappropriate, it shall not be precluded from
acquiring property under the provisions of the appropriate sections
of Article 89B and Article 33A of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1951 Edition).

9B. When planning to construct a highway or a portion thereof
on a new location, or when planning to make a major improvement
to an existing highway or a portion thereof', the Commission after
appropriate engineering and other studies shall determine the loca-
tion of the highway to be constructed or reconstructed and it shall
also determine the length of the construction as well as the width of
the right of way necessary for construction. This construction plan
shall be shown on plats or maps prepared by the Commission, which
(plats or maps shall show the center line of the proposed construction
as well as the length and termini of the construction and the width
of the necessary right of way on either side of the proposed center
line, thereby showing the fee simple and easement area necessary
for acquisition by the Commission. The plats shall also show thereon
the property lines of the several property owners whose property
will be affected by such acquisition. The Commission shall make
such engineering and real estate studies, evaluations and investiga-
tion as may be necessary to establish in its opinion a fair value of
the property and of the rights to be acquired, and the resulting
damages to the remainder of the property, if any. Said property
lines shall be established from information obtained by the Commis-
sion and may include metes and bounds survey information if such
information is available in the Commission's file.