Department may contract for construction of railroads on penitentiary property

property. The Department of Corrections may enter into a contract with any railroad company for the construction of railroad switches, sidetracks, or spurs into the yards of the penitentiaries of the state, and may sell and convey rights-of-way owned by the state to any railroad company, and may grant rights-of-way to railroads across any penitentiary property of the state.