Chapter 747. To authorize Washington and Westmoreland counties in the State of Pennsylvania to construct and maintain a bridge across the Monongahela River, in the State of Pennsylvania
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CHAP. 747.— An Act To authorize Washington and Westmoreland counties in the State of Pennsylvania to construct and maintain a bridge across the Monongahela River, in the State of Pennsylvania. February 21, 1903.[[Public, No. 108](/us/pl/34/108).] *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*, Monongahela River.Washington and Westmoreland counties, Pa., may bridge. That Washington County and Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, be, and they are, jointly, authorized, pursuant to the laws of said State, to construct, maintain, and operate a county bridge across the Monongahela River between Location.points in Carroll Township, Washington County, at or near the borough of Donora, as it would seem best, to a point in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County, at or near the village of Webster.
The said bridge, when built in accordance with the requirements of this Act, shall be a legal structure, and may be used for either or both railroad purposes or as a highway for the passage of persons, vehicles, and passenger cars. Sec. 2. Secretary of War to approve plans, etc.That the bridge authorized to be constructed under this Act shall be located and built under and subject to such requirements for the security of navigation of said river as the Secretary of War shall prescribe; and to secure that object the said Washington and Westmoreland counties shall submit to the Secretary of War, for his examination and approval, a design and drawing for the bridge and a map of the location, giving for a space of one mile the depth and current of the river at all points, and the location of any other bridge or bridges, together with all other information touching said bridge and river as may be requisite for the Secretary of War to determine whether said bridge, when built, will conform to the provisions of this Act and cause no serious obstruction to the navigation of the river or injuriously affect the flow of water. 851 Sec. 3.
That the Secretary of, War is hereby authorized and directed,Protection to navigation. upon receiving said plan and map, and upon being satisfied that a bridge built upon said plan and at said location will conform to the provisions of this Act and cause no serious obstruction to the navigation of the river or injuriously affect the flow of water, to notify the said Washington and Westmoreland counties that he approves the same, and upon receiving said notification the said counties may proceed to the erection of the said bridge, conforming strictly to the approved plan and location; and until the Secretary of War shall approve the plan and location of the said bridge and notify the said counties, in writing, a bridge shall not be built or commenced; and should any change be made in the planChanges. of the bridge during the progress of the work thereon, or after completion, such change shall be subject likewise to the approval of the Secretary of War.
And any changes in said bridge which the Secretary of War may at any time deem necessary, and order in the interests of navigation, shall be made by the owners thereof at their own expense. Sec. 4. That said bridge, at the option of the said Washington andRailroad, wagon, and foot bridge. Westmoreland counties, may be so constructed that the same can be used for the passage of wagons and vehicles of all kinds, and passenger cars, and for the transit of animals and foot passengers over the same, and also, in addition to these purposes, may be used for railroad purposes; and the counties maintaining the same shall have the right to charge such reasonable rates for toll as bridge companies are authorized to collect under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania: *Provided*,*Proviso*.Use by other roads.
That if said bridge shall be constructed for railroad purposes, all railroad companies desiring the use of said bridge shall have and be entitled to equal rights and privileges relative to the passage of railroad trains or cars over the same upon the payment of a reasonable compensationCompensation. for such use; and in case the owner or owners of said bridge and the several railroad companies, or any one of them, desiring such use shall fail to agree upon the sum or sums to be paid, and upon the rules and conditions to which each shall conform in using said bridge, all matters at issue between them shall be decided by the Secretary of War upon a hearing of the allegations and proofs of the parties.
Sec. 5. That any bridge constructed under this Act shall be knownPost road. as a post road, over which no higher charge shall be made for the transportation of mail, troops, and munitions of war, or other property of the United States, than the rate per mile charged for their transportation over the public highways leading to said bridge. The UnitedTelegraph, etc., rights. States shall also have the right of way over said bridge for postal-telegraph purposes, and equal privileges in the use of said bridge shall be granted to all telegraph and telephone companies.
Sec. 6. That the said bridge shall be so kept and managed at allUnobstructed navigation. times as not to interfere with the passage of vessels, barges, or rafts, both by day and by night; and there shall be displayed on said bridgeLights, etc. by the owners thereof, from sunset to sunrise, such lights or other signals as the Light-House Board may prescribe. Sec. 7. That this Act shall be null and void if actual constructionTime of construction. of the bridge herein authorized be not commenced in one year and completed within three years from the date hereof.
Sec. 8. That the right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is herebyAmendment. expressly reserved. Approved, February 21, 1903.