(1) The Department of Transportation may acquire rights of way deemed necessary for all primary and secondary state highways, both within and without the corporate limits of cities and towns, except that such rights of way within the corporate limits of cities and towns may be acquired at the sole expense of the state, at the expense of the city or town or at the expense of the city or town and the state, as may be mutually agreed upon.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 366.320

  • City: includes any incorporated village or town. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • Department: means the Department of Transportation. See Oregon Statutes 366.005
  • Highway: means every public way, road, street, thoroughfare and place, including bridges, viaducts and other structures within the boundaries of this state, open, used or intended for use of the general public for vehicles or vehicular traffic as a matter of right. See Oregon Statutes 366.005
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.

(2) The department may acquire by purchase, agreement, donation or by the exercise of the power of eminent domain, real property or any right or interest therein deemed necessary for rights of way, either for original location or for widening, straightening or otherwise changing any highway, road or street. The department may, when acquiring real property for right of way, acquire all right of access from abutting property to the highway to be constructed, relocated or widened.

(3) All rights of way owned or held by the several counties over and along any roads adopted as state highways are vested in the state, by and through the department. This subsection does not apply to any rights of way owned by any city for city streets. [Amended by 1953 c.252 § 2]