5. The commissioner, as head of the department, shall have all of the functions, powers and duties heretofore vested in the State Highway Commissioner and shall, in addition to the functions, powers and duties vested in him by this act or by any other law:

(a) Develop and maintain a comprehensive master plan for all modes of transportation development, with special emphasis on public transportation. Such plan shall be revised and updated at least every five years;

(b) Develop and promote programs to foster efficient and economical transportation services in the State;

(c) Prepare plans for the preservation, improvement and expansion of the public transportation system, with special emphasis on the coordination of transit modes and the use of rail rights of way, highways and public streets for public transportation purposes;

(d) Enter into contracts with the New Jersey Transit Corporation for the provision and improvement of public transportation services;

(e) Coordinate the transportation activities of the department with those of other public agencies and authorities;

(f) Cooperate with interstate commissions and authorities, State departments, councils, commissions and other State agencies, with appropriate federal agencies, and with interested private individuals and organizations in the coordination of plans and policies for the development of air commerce and air facilities;

(g) Make an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature on the department’s operations, and render such other reports as the Governor shall from time to time request or as may be required by law;

(h) Promulgate regulations providing for the charging of and setting the amount of fees for certain services performed by and permits issued by the department, including but not limited to the following:

(1) Providing copies of documents prepared by or in the custody of the department;

(2) Aeronautics permits;

(3) Right-of-way permits;

(4) Traffic signal control systems;

(i) Develop and promote programs for the preservation, improvement and expansion of freight railroads, with special emphasis on the use of rail rights of way for the purpose of providing rail freight service;

(j) Develop and promote a program to ensure the safety and continued operation of aviation facilities in New Jersey;

(k) Enter into agreements with a public or private entity or consortia thereof to provide for the development of demonstration projects through the use of public-private partnerships pursuant to sections 1 through 9 of P.L.1997, c.136 (C. 27:1D-1 through C. 27:1D-9);

(l) Do any and all things necessary, convenient or desirable to effectuate the purposes of P.L.1966, c.301 (C. 27:1A-1 et seq.) and to exercise the powers given and granted in that act;

(m) Enter into agreements or contracts with a private entity and charge and collect fees or other payments for the placement of sponsorship acknowledgment and advertising on signs, equipment, materials, and vehicles used for a safety service patrol or emergency service patrol program operated by the department, or operated by a private entity under contract with the department or through the use of a public-private partnership or demonstration project; and

(n) Acquire by eminent domain, pursuant to the eminent domain law and R.S.27:7-22, any property, property rights, or property interests, including easements, air rights, below-grade and subsurface rights, hereinafter referred to as “Property Interests,” including rights on property now or previously designated as parkland or dedicated to a public use, provided that such Property Interests are located in the State and, in the judgment of the commissioner, are necessary or appropriate for the construction, reconstruction, development, redevelopment, use, occupancy, operation, and maintenance of passenger rail transportation facilities and ancillary facilities between New Jersey and New York Penn Station, in a corridor beginning at or near Newark Penn Station and ending at the boundary of the State of New Jersey in the Hudson River. Property Interests may be acquired pursuant to this subsection notwithstanding any requirement in R.S.27:7-36 or any other provision of law, general, special, charter, or local, and regardless of whether the Property Interests are or were dedicated to public use. All of such Property Interests may be acquired by the commissioner pursuant to applicable provisions of the eminent domain law and R.S.27:7-22, provided that any acquisition of Property Interests pursuant to this subsection shall be contingent on the commissioner entering into an agreement addressing such acquisition with the Gateway Development Commission, approved in accordance with that entity’s authorizing statute, and the Gateway Development Commission shall agree to pay the costs incurred by the commissioner in acquiring such Property Interests pursuant to the eminent domain law. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, general, special, charter, or local, following acquisition, the commissioner may use such property together with property already owned or held, to: enter into contracts to sell, transfer, lease, or exchange with, or grant easements, licenses, permits, concessions, or other authorizations to, the Gateway Development Commission sufficient to permit the construction, reconstruction, development, redevelopment, use, occupancy, operation, and maintenance by the Gateway Development Commission or its permittees and successors, of the aforementioned passenger rail facilities and ancillary facilities. Authorization is hereby given to the commissioner to do all things necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this subsection.

amended 1967, c.71, s.1; 1971, c.345; 1972, c.164, s.3; 1979, c.150, s.24; 1979, c.164; 1979, c.388, s.7; 1983, c.264, s.8; 1986, c.56, s.1; 1997, c.136, s.10; 2011, c.133, s.1; 2019, c.195, s.27.