When as a result of an engineering and traffic study it is determined that it is necessary to traffic safety and convenience, the Department, or county board of any county may:
(a) Relocate the crossing or junction at grade of the freeway with any existing highway, road, street, alley or other public way or eliminate such crossing or junction at grade by carrying such public way over or under the freeway or by connecting it to a local service drive and may relocate or alter any such intersecting public ways in such manner as is necessary thereto. The Department, or county board, shall have the right to acquire by purchase or condemnation, in the manner the Department or county board now is, or hereafter may be authorized by law, all property and property rights necessary for such relocations and grade separations. The Department, and the county board is authorized to maintain, or to enter into maintenance agreements with the agencies having jurisdiction over the public ways prior to said relocation, for the public ways so relocated; or(b) Eliminate the crossing or junction at grade of the freeway with any existing highway, road, street, alley or other public way by closing such public way at its intersection with the boundary of the freeway subject to the following conditions: (1) Where the freeway is not a part of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways or is not a highway where the authority to control access has been exercised to permit access only at certain selected public roads, by agreement with the county, road district, municipality or other authority having jurisdiction over the public way to be closed; or(2) Where the freeway is a part of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways or is a highway where the authority to control access has been exercised to permit access only at certain selected public roads, the Department and county board may close such public way, but only after holding a public hearing, in the county where the crossing or junction at grade is situated, at which hearing the needs of local traffic and the effect of such closing on other highways in the locality shall be considered. Such hearing shall be held prior to the preparation of final construction plans, but only after reasonable notice has been given, and shall be conducted in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the Department. No crossings shall be eliminated which shall unduly discommode or interfere with local traffic, or will destroy reasonable access to schools, churches, markets, trade or community centers, and all crossings not eliminated shall be grade separated with the through traffic lanes of the interstate highway or the highway where the authority to control access has been exercised to permit access only at certain selected public roads. If the closing of a public way, as herein provided, makes it necessary to construct a new or additional highway connection to serve the public need, the Department and county board shall construct such connection. When property is damaged by the closing of any public way, the damage shall be ascertained and paid as provided by law.