An Act to amend the acts of February 28, 1903, and March 3, 1927, relating to the payment of the cost and expense of constructing railway-highway grade elimination structures in the District of Columbia.
PL 84-791 (S.2895), enacted 07/25/1956

638 
PUBLIC LAW 791-JULY 25, 1956 
[70 ST A T . 
a ARTICLE VII 
"The compact administrators may request the United States Forest 
Service to act as the primary research and coordinating agency of the 
Middle Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact in co-
operation with the appropriate agencies in each state, and the United 
States Forest Service may accept the initial responsibility in preparing 
and presenting to the compact administrators its recommendations 
with respect to the regional fire plan. 
Representatives of the United 
States 
Forest 
Service may 
attend 
meetings of 
the 
compact 
administrators. 
a ARTICLE VIII 
"The provisions of Articles IV and V of this compact which relate 
to mutual aid in combating, controlling or preventing forest fires 
shall be operative as between any state party to this compact and any 
other state which is party to a regional forest fire protection compact 
in another region: Provided, That the legislature of such other state 
shall have given its assent to such mutual aid provisions of this 
compact. 
"ARTICLE IX 
"This compact shall continue in force and remain binding on each 
state ratifying it until the legislature or the governor of such state 
takes action to withdraw therefrom. 
Such action shall not be effec-
tive until six months after notice thereof has been sent by the chief 
executive of the state desiring to withdraw to the chief executives 
of all states then parties to the compact." 
SEC. 2. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is expressly 
reserved. 
Approved July 25, 1956. 
July 25, 1956 
[S. 2895] 
Public Law 791 
CHAPTER 720 
AN ACT 
To amend the Acts of February 2H, 11)08, and March 3, 1927, rehiting to the 
payment of the cost and expense of constructing railway-highway yrade elimi-
nation structures in the District of Columbia. 
D. C, railway-
h i g h w a y grade 
elimination struc-
ture. 
Payments. 
Be it enacted by the /Senate and Houne of Repvenentatioe^ of the 
United ^States of America in CongrenH assembled, That the second 
sentence of the second paragraph of section 10 of the Act of February 
28, 1903 (32 Stat. 918), as amended (sec. 7-1214, D. C. Code, 1951 
edition), is amended to read as follows: "The cost and expense of 
any project for opening any such street or highway within the limits 
of such railroad company's right-of-way, including the cost of con-
structing the portion of any viaduct bridge, within said limits, shall 
be borne and paid as follows: 
"(1) The District of Columbia shall apply to the payment of such 
cost and expense all Federal aid highway-railway grade separation 
funds available for use by the District of (^olumbia at the time any 
such project is programed and all such funds which become available 
for use on such projects by the District of (^olumbia during the con-
struction of such project; 
"(2) If such Federal aid highway-railway ^rade separation funds 
are insufficient to pay the cost and expense of any such project, the 
portion not so covered shall be paid one-half by the railroad company, 
its successors and assigns, whose tracks are crossed and one-half by 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 791-JULY 25, 1956 
639 
the District of Columbia: Provided^ That in no case shall the obliga-
tion of the railroad company affected exceed 10 per centum of the 
total cost and expense of such project; 
'-(3) After construction, the cost of maintenance shall be wholly 
borne and paid in the case of highway overpasses by the District of 
Columbia, and in the case of highway underpasses by the railroad 
company, its successors and assigns, whose tracks are crossed; and 
"(4) The portions of such streets planned or projected as above 
which lie within a right-of-way belonging to such railroad company 
shall be dedicated by such company as a public thoroughfare when the 
portions of such street adjoining such right-of-way have been similarly 
dedicated or otherwise acquired." 
SEC. 2. (a) That section 3 of the Act of March 3,1927 (44 Stat. 1353; 
sec. 7-1215, D. C. Code, 1951 edition) is amended by striking there-
from the word "steam". 
(b) So much of section 3 of such Act approved March 3, 1927, as 
reads: ^''Provided^ That one-half of the total cost of constructing any 
viaduct or subway and approaches thereto shall in such case be paid by 
the railroad company, its successors or assigns, whose tracks are so 
crossed; and in the event the rights-of-way of two or more railroad 
companies are so crossed said half cost as herein provided shall be 
paid by the said railroad companies, their successors or assigns, in 
proportion to the widths of their respective land holdings, and all" is 
amended to read as follows: ''''Provided^ That the total cost of con-
structing any project for such viaduct or subway and approaches 
thereto shall be borne and paid as follows: 
"(1) The District of Columbia shall apply to the payment of the 
cost of such project all Federal aid highway-railway grade separation 
funds available for use by the District of Columbia at the time any 
such project is programed and all such funds which become available 
for use on such project by the District of Columbia during the con-
struction of such projects; and 
"(2) If such Federal-aid highway-railway grade separation funds 
are insufficient to pay the cost of any siich project, the portion not so 
covered shall be paid one-half by the railroad company, its successors 
and assigns, whose tracks are crossed and one-half by the District of 
Columbia: Provided further^ That in no case shall the obligation of 
the railroad company affected exceed 10 per centum of the total cost 
of such project: Provided further^ That in the event the rights-of-way 
of two or more railroad companies are so crossed said half cost as 
herein provided shall be paid by the said railroad companies, their 
successors and assigns, in proportion to the widths of their respective 
landholdings, but the obligations of such companies shall not, in the 
aggregate, exceed 10 per centum of the cost of such project: Provided 
further^ That after construction the cost of maintenance shall be 
wholly borne and paid in the case of highw^ay overpasses by the Dis-
trict of Columbia, and in the case of highway underpasses by the 
railroad company, its successors and assigns, whose tracks are crossed: 
Provided further^ That in the event the rights-of-way of two or more 
railroad companies are so crossed, the cost of maintenance shall bs 
borne and paid in the case of highway underpasses by the said railroad 
companies, their successors and assigns, in proportion to the widtlis 
of their respective land holdings. All". 
Approved July 25, 1956, 
V i a d u c t s 
and 
subways. 
Cost. 
Payments.