For purposes of this Act, territory to be organized as a sanitary district shall be considered to be contiguous territory, and territory to be annexed to a sanitary district shall be considered to be contiguous to the sanitary district notwithstanding that the territory to be so organized is divided by one or more railroad rights-of-ways, public easements, or property owned by a public utility or that the territory to be so annexed is separated from the sanitary district by one or more railroad rights-of-ways, public easements, or property owned by a public utility. However, upon such organization or annexation, the area included within any such right-of-way, public easement, or property owned by a public utility shall not be considered a part of or annexed to the sanitary district.