(1) lay out, build, and maintain public highways and bridges, including the exclusive authority to establish design criteria, construction specifications, and standards required to construct and maintain highways and bridges;

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(2) acquire such lands, road building materials, and rights-of-way as may be needed for roads and bridges by purchase, gift, or condemnation;

(3) cause the state highways to be marked with appropriate directions for travel and regulate the travel and traffic along such highways, subject to the laws of the State;

(4) number or renumber state highways;

(5) initiate and conduct such programs and pilot projects to further research and development efforts, and to promote training of personnel in the fields of planning, construction, maintenance, and operation of the state highway system;

(6) cooperate with the federal government in the construction of federal-aid highways in the development of improved mass transit service, facilities, equipment, techniques, and methods and in planning and research in connection therewith; and seek and receive such federal aid and assistance as may from time to time become available except for funds designated by statute to be administered by the Chief Executive Officer of the State;

(7) instruct, assist, and cooperate with the agencies, departments, and bodies politic and legally constituted agencies of the State in street, highway, traffic, and mass transit matters when requested to do so, and, if requested by such government authorities, supervise or furnish engineering supervision for the construction and improvement of roads and bridges, provided such duties do not impair the attention to be given the highways in the state highway system;

(8) promulgate such rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act for the administration and enforcement of the powers delegated to the department by law, which shall have the full force and effect of law;

(9) grant churches the right to cross over, under, along, and upon any public roads or highways and rights-of-way related thereto;

(10) enter into such contracts as may be necessary for the proper discharge of its functions and duties and may sue and be sued thereon;

(11) erect such signs as requested by a local governing body, if the department deems the signs necessary for public safety and welfare, including "Deaf Child" signs and "Crime Watch Area" signs; and

(12) do all other things required or provided by law.