Section 528. Powers of the authority

The authority shall have power
    1. To acquire, hold and dispose of personal property for its corporate
  purposes;
    1-a.  To  hold in the name of the state any real property acquired for
  its corporate purposes and, with the approval of  the  commissioner,  to
  sell,  lease,  exchange,  or  otherwise  dispose of any real property or
  rights or easements therein, heretofore or hereafter  acquired  pursuant
  to  the  "state  bridge  authority  act",  determined  by  it  to be not
  necessary for its corporate purposes.
    2. To make by-laws for the management and regulation of its affairs;
    3. With the consent of the commissioner to use the  agents,  employees
  and  facilities  of  the department, paying its proper proportion of the
  compensation and expenses of such agents and employees and of  the  cost
  of such facilities;
    4.   To   appoint   officers,  agents  and  employees  and  fix  their
  compensation; subject, however, to the provisions of the  civil  service
  law, which shall apply to the authority as a municipal corporation other
  than a city;
    5.  To  make  contracts,  and  to execute all instruments necessary or
  convenient;
    6. To conduct a study regarding traffic congestion and capacity  needs
  in  and  around  the  Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson bridge and to
  make recommendations  concerning  reasonable  alternatives  designed  to
  alleviate  any  known  capacity  deficiencies in and around such bridge.
  Such study shall include, but is not  limited  to  an  investigation  to
  determine whether it is in the public interest to construct a new bridge
  over  the  Hudson  river  at  or  near  the  city of Poughkeepsie and in
  connection therewith to contract with engineers, surveyors,  contractors
  and others for environmental review, preliminary plans, borings, surveys
  and  estimates  of  cost,  and  if  the authority by resolution, and the
  commissioner in writing filed with the authority, shall  determine  that
  the  construction of such bridge is in the public interest, to construct
  such bridge at a location approved by the commissioner, on lands of  the
  state  of  New  York or lands to be acquired in the name of the state of
  New York  as  hereinafter  provided,  together  with  incidental  roads,
  approaches,  structures  and  facilities,  subject  to such consents and
  approval of federal authorities in any case as may be necessary.
    7. To maintain, reconstruct, and operate the bridges so  long  as  its
  corporate existence shall continue;
    8.  To  charge  tolls  for  the  use  of the bridges subject to and in
  accordance with such agreements with bondholders and noteholders as  may
  be  made  as hereinafter provided, except, however, that subject to such
  agreements the rates of tolls charged on the Franklin  Delano  Roosevelt
  Mid-Hudson  bridge,  the  Kingston  Rhinecliff bridge, the Bear Mountain
  bridge, the Rip Van Winkle bridge, and the Hamilton Fish Newburgh-Beacon
  bridge shall be the same.
    9. To construct and maintain over, or along the bridges, or either  of
  them,  telephone,  telegraph  or  electric  wires and cables, gas mains,
  water mains, and other mechanical equipment not  inconsistent  with  the
  use  of  the  bridges  for  vehicular  traffic,  to  contract  for  such
  construction and to lease the right to construct and/or use the same  on
  such  terms and for such considerations as it shall determine, provided,
  however, that no lease shall be made for a period of more than ten years
  from the date when it is made;
    10.  To  construct  and  maintain  facilities  for  the  public,   not
  inconsistent  with  the  appropriate use of the bridges, to contract for
  such construction, and to lease the right to construct and/or  use  such
  facilities  on  such  terms  and  for  such  considerations  as it shall

  determine, provided, however, that no lease shall be made for  a  period
  of more than ten years from the date when it is made;
    10-a.  Subject  to  the  approval  of  the commissioner, to construct,
  reconstruct and improve highway connections to any of the  bridges;  the
  construction to be under the supervision and control of the commissioner
  as agent of the authority. Upon completion thereof, jurisdiction of such
  connections  to  be transferred by the authority to the commissioner who
  shall thereafter maintain such connections in the same manner  as  other
  highways maintained by the state;
    10-b.  To  contribute  and pay over such amount as the authority shall
  determine to any city for such  city's  share  of  the  cost,  including
  damages  and  expenses,  to be borne by or charged against such city for
  the acquisition of real property acquired by the state within such  city
  for  state  highways  connecting  with any of the bridges and approaches
  situated within a radius of one mile from the nearest bridge abutment.
    11. To issue negotiable bonds and notes and to provide for the  rights
  of the holders thereof;
    12.  To  enter  on  any  lands, waters and premises for the purpose of
  making surveys, soundings and examinations;
    13. To advertise the facilities and advantages of the bridges;
    14. To appoint or designate one or more persons  for  the  purpose  of
  enforcing  law,  order  and  the observance of the rules and regulations
  established by the authority. Each person as and when  so  appointed  or
  designated  may,  during  the term of such appointment or designation be
  uniformed and shall be known as  a  "New  York  state  bridge  authority
  patrolman"  and shall be a police officer as defined by paragraph (e) of
  subdivision thirty-four of section 1.20 of the  criminal  procedure  law
  and  shall  have,  within  the  limits of the cities, towns and villages
  within which any part of a bridge, or any ferry  property,  operated  by
  the  authority shall be located, all the powers of a constable, marshal,
  police constable or  policeman  of  a  city,  town  or  village  in  the
  execution  of  criminal  processes;  and  criminal process issued by any
  court or magistrate of a county, town, city or village within which  any
  part  of  a bridge or any ferry property operated by the authority shall
  be located, may be directed  to  and  executed  by  any  such  patrolman
  notwithstanding the provisions of any local or special act, ordinance or
  regulation.
    15.  To  do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers
  expressly given in this title.
    16. To accept grants, loans or contributions from the United States of
  America, the state of New York, or  any  agency  or  instrumentality  of
  either  of  them  and,  subject  to  any  agreement  with bondholders or
  noteholders, to enter into contracts  and  to  execute  all  instruments
  necessary or convenient or desirable in connection therewith, including,
  its  bonds,  notes or other obligation evidencing any such loan from the
  United States of America, the  state  of  New  York  or  any  agency  or
  instrumentality of either of them.