Whenever, in the opinion of the commission and of the department, it is necessary or desirable to do so, the commission shall authorize and direct the department to build or acquire for, and in the name of, the state any or all of the following:
(a) Toll bridges, tubes, or other toll highway crossings across water, bays, arms of bays, straits, rivers, and streams in California, both navigable and unnavigable, or across any stream that is a boundary line between California and any other state, or toll tunnels through mountains in California.
(b) Transportation facilities of any toll bridges or toll highway crossings constructed or acquired, or to be constructed or acquired, pursuant to this chapter.
(c) Additional transportation facilities connecting or coordinated with any such toll bridge or other highway crossing or the transportation facilities thereon.
The commission may authorize and direct the department to pay for any such construction or acquisition out of any funds provided or made available by this chapter. Whenever a project consists of a tube or tunnel which will accommodate traffic served by a privately owned ferry, the commission may acquire such ferry.
(Amended by Stats. 1980, Ch. 777, Sec. 128.)