Section 703. Powers of the authority

The authority shall have power:
    1. To sue and be sued;
    2. To have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;
    3. To acquire, hold and dispose of personal property for its corporate
  purposes;
    4.   To   acquire,   by  purchase  or  condemnation  pursuant  to  the
  condemnation law, such real property or rights or easements therein,  as
  may  be  necessary  or  proper  for the construction or operation of the
  bridge, and to sell any such  property  not  needed  for  its  corporate
  purposes;
    5. To make by-laws for the management and regulation of its affairs;
    6.  To  contract  for  professional  services and to employ consulting
  engineers  for  the  design  of  the  bridge  and  supervision  of   its
  construction,  and to employ legal consultants in both the United States
  and Canada; to appoint officers, agents and employees and engineers, and
  fix their compensation;
    7. To make contracts and  to  execute  all  instruments  necessary  or
  convenient;
    8.  By  contract or contracts or by its own employees to construct and
  to maintain and operate a bridge across the Saint Lawrence river  at  or
  near  the city of Ogdensburg, in the county of Saint Lawrence, New York,
  and the approach roads which are necessary to connect  the  bridge  with
  the  state  highway  system in the state of New York at a point and in a
  manner approved by the state department of transportation and  with  the
  nearest  highway  in the province of Ontario and to acquire any property
  or rights of any person, firm or corporation deemed by the authority  to
  be  necessary  or  desirable  in  connection  with  the  construction or
  operation of the bridge;
    9. To charge tolls for the use of the bridge at  rates  sufficient  to
  provide  for payment of all expenses of the authority, the conservation,
  maintenance and operation of the bridge, the payment of the interest  on
  and  the  principal  of  all  bonds  issued  by  the authority under the
  provisions of this title, and reserves for such purposes, subject to and
  in accordance with such agreements with bondholders as may  be  made  as
  hereinafter provided;
    10. To exercise in Canada all rights, powers and authority which shall
  be  granted  or  permitted to the authority by the proper authorities of
  Canada or of the province of Ontario, including the entering upon  lands
  and  acquiring,  condemning,  occupying, possessing, and using such real
  estate and other property in Canada as may be needed by the authority in
  carrying out the powers herein granted;
    11. Prior to the opening of the  bridge  for  automotive  traffic,  to
  purchase,  maintain  and  operate  all  or  any ferries across the Saint
  Lawrence river within five miles of the location which shall be selected
  for said bridge, subject to the conditions and limitations contained  in
  this title, and subject to the approval of the proper authorities in the
  government  of Canada, subject to the approval of the comptroller of the
  state of New York and subject to the approval of the form of contract by
  the attorney general of the state of New York.    Nothing  contained  in
  this  title shall require the authority or its successors to maintain or
  operate any ferry or ferries purchased under the authority of this title
  and upon opening of the bridge for automotive  traffic  such  automotive
  ferry or automotive ferry operations shall be terminated, but nothing in
  this  article  shall  prohibit any party from operating a non-automotive
  ferry between Ogdensburg and Prescott.  Upon  the  termination  of  such
  ferry  or ferries operations any ferry or ferries so purchased, with the
  appurtenances and property thereto connected  and  belonging,  shall  be
  sold in such manner, at such time or times and for such amounts as shall

  be  approved by the director of the budget of the state of New York. The
  authority and its successors may fix such rates and tolls for the use of
  such ferry or ferries as  it  may  deem  proper,  subject  to  the  same
  conditions  provided  by  this  title  as  to tolls for traffic over the
  bridge. All tolls collected for the use of the ferry or ferries and  the
  proceeds  from  any sale or disposition of any ferry or ferries shall be
  used, as far as may be  necessary,  to  pay  the  cost  of  maintaining,
  repairing  and operating the same, and any residue thereof shall be paid
  to the state comptroller as agent of the authority and deposited by  him
  to the credit of the Ogdensburg bridge fund;
    12.  To construct and maintain over, under, along or across the bridge
  and approach roads telephone, telegraph or electric  wires  and  cables,
  gas  mains, water mains, and other mechanical equipment not inconsistent
  with the appropriate use of  the  bridge  and  approach  roads,  and  to
  contract  for  such  construction and to lease the right to construct or
  use the same on such terms and  for  such  considerations  as  it  shall
  determine;  provided,  however,  that  no  such lease shall extend for a
  period of more than twenty years or beyond the final date of maturity of
  any bonds issued and outstanding under the authority of this title;
    13. To purchase, construct and maintain  facilities  for  the  public,
  consistent   with   the   use  of  the  bridge,  to  contract  for  such
  construction, and to lease the right to construct 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
  thirty years from the date when it is made;
    14. To issue its negotiable bonds and to provide for the rights of the
  holders thereof;
    15.  To  enter  on  any  lands, waters and premises for the purpose of
  making surveys, soundings and examinations;
    16. To accept grants of money or real or personal  property  from  the
  federal  or  state  governments  or  agencies thereof, or from municipal
  corporations, or any other lawful source for its corporate purposes;
    17. To do all things necessary or convenient to carry out  the  powers
  expressly given in this title except that the construction of the bridge
  herein  authorized  shall  not  be  begun or any property acquired until
  after the necessary consents and approvals of the federal government and
  of the government of Canada or any subdivision or agency thereof  having
  jurisdiction shall have been obtained.
    18.  To  establish,  maintain  and  operate,  either  by  contract  or
  contracts or by its own employees, a public bus  transportation  system,
  from  an  area in the vicinity of Sophia street in the city of Prescott,
  province of Ontario, Canada, over and across the Ogdensburg bridge to an
  area in the vicinity of Saint Lawrence avenue in the city of Ogdensburg,
  county of Saint  Lawrence,  state  of  New  York,  in  a  manner  to  be
  determined  by  the authority subject to the laws, rules and regulations
  pertaining to public bus transportation of  the  government  of  Canada,
  province  of  Ontario  and the city of Prescott and subject to the laws,
  rules and regulations pertaining to public  bus  transportation  of  the
  government of the United States of America, state of New York, county of
  Saint Lawrence and the city of Ogdensburg.
    19.  To  rehabilitate  and  modernize  the  building  known as "Garden
  Cottage" and utilize, operate and  maintain  such  building  as  a  port
  facilities  building  including  therein suitable accommodations for the
  authority's  administration  headquarters,  a  tourist  information  and
  service  center  and  other office accommodations which may be leased or
  rented for public or private purposes.
    20. To assist and cooperate with the  Ogdensburg  port  authority  and
  other  official  agencies  in  promoting  the development and use of the

  Ogdensburg bridge, harbor and port facilities and when requested  by  it
  to  make  available to the Ogdensburg port authority at a nominal rental
  suitable  accommodations  in  the  port  facilities  building  for   the
  administration headquarters of such port authority.