Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Hanorable Stansell Bryan
B0mrable Stanssll -ml, Page %
Ths authority of the State Bl(Eway Comlsslon, reatr in the tou6Mn.g t&6 subject-matter of your letter, following prorlsiona of Eousa Bill 99r
*The Stats Highway Oomlssion shall havs the power and authority upon the basis of an to deter- invwti&Aon engineering an8 traffic miida~~ zix the IMX~IUWI, rsaaonable and "udee: s road or hlnhway interseotlons, - way gradcarom r u on an OurYea, hi114 other mart or a y*. less than #is-h& fixed by 618 ,Actt, taking into oon- hereinbafore sideration th6 width an4 oolndltlon of the pave- ment and other oirmmstaaoas on suoh portion ,of ssdd k&&wap a6 well 88 the usual traffio themon. That whumver ths Stats lIlgb*ay Copaisslon shall ate ei aapwd at any maid .at a lasp rate 0r sp*d bofom net ferth In this Aat and shall dealare the aaximuzz~, reasonable snd prudeat ~pesd 1Aai.t thusat by psopu order of the Comnlasion entsrsd an its mlautss, auah T&6 Of spO6d Bhdl b6Nab 6mOti79 VA& Op6Tm tire at maid point~on aaid highways when ap ro- prlate slgam glring .not i@e ther6of are eree e od under the sdez of the O&mlsslon at saah laea- ~eotlon or portion of the hi&h~&~.~ (hpharir t%W) 'Xt is abiened that Hous* BUl. 99 do68 sot the term *State desl@mted hl@wa~ or the srprsraian ways whlah are a part of ths State k&&way System* or term8 of si,mUar restrfetirs Laport. Xmtead, the term *pub116 hlghwaya",%ighway-, *a highway" and *'any highway" as rU@d.
ft 1s our oplnian that tbs Legislaturs did not In-
tend to reatricrt tha pxwvlelaar, of &taae Bill IQ .rsluting to the quertion before us, ~a State deslgnatsd highways as dlstingulshsd from oouaty hf%hways and road*.
The term %ighway* is gm.mrlo, lnaludlng al5 pabU@
ways, The phrase *pub110 hl&waya is a tautolo&loal sxpms- sion sinoa all hi(ghwaya are n~oa~sarily publie.
It, wea held in Viilliaas v. Carroll 108 S. W. 89,
90, (rsvsrsed in part on other grounds, 208 &. Pi. M)4) that , ~,.. -,A
L-- *3 Honorable StanselL Bryan, Pa&e S
alStreet* generally means a ammgeway wlthiu the bo~nda of e municipal coz-poratlon, whi a *roe49 m-8 a oounty hi&way P
forming a Ooiamunlcatlon between the olty llmit8 of one olty or town anrl the city llmlto of another city or town* aab, further, that mhlle a street 1s a highway, it 1s not naoes- sarllg true that a hlgbway is a rtreet. end under the primary eo*rol or the &gislatUta.w
In Fletcher 7. Bordelon, 56 8. $i. (84) 313, 319, it wea saldr
"The 6treets of oitia8 are publla highways, Ill wood V. state, 45 a. 111. (aI) WI?, the CourtI of Criminal Appasls of Texas oonrtdereit appellslant '8 ooatantlon that the road upon whloh he wae alla ad to have 6rlvtm an automobile wh1111e In a ststa of.lnto Oation ~8% not a pub110 x!
road wlthln the amtempletion of the law. In t&a BOllTIe of its opinion the court observed es fsfiows!
n~ur em statutes throw light upon the quaa- xt will be obcerma that the omb2ws t1on. of WhlOi &%llsat Is oQnvlotea i&l Qrn of %hO8. ", ambraoeil lo Chapter 1, Title 13 of the Penal Code. Artlole 8900 Is found lo cbaptar 1, Pit14 ,ll6,' R. C, 8. relisting to &ate highwar8. In the 6ama chspter and title, AEt10&3 MO1 ~a0tlon (g), 3a found the ftilo.oring langt~$a: {Publie huhwe@ shall inelude enp matI, rtrest, wag, thoreughfma or brldp in thlr Btoto not privately owned or oontrollbd, for the use o? rshlolos 4ov6r whlah the state has leglrlatlvo jurisdlat~oa under it8 pollee powerr*
In Phllllpa t. &nron, 30 8. N. (gd) lGBS, 1060, 3136 MO. Z0.2, It wa8 hbld that the w@rd whfghwayW, as Orad ln statute8 reqtiring persons operating motor vahlalaa to uue the highest degree of esr8, lnOludad all hlgbwa~ traveled by the publlo, regardless of their lagal statue.
& UOOd v, Town of %ntmrd, 1e9 *. B. $11, SlE, aI8
Mass. 3.86, it was held that the woti "highway" connote6 In soms conmotions, end perhapr taohaioally, a prrbl.iO way,,Ort- &nal jurladlcti-On to lay out which 1s ln oomty eotilglonars, but in other cannactions 1s uaad eomprehenslvelly to 180&d* all kinds of public wsy0.
Ibnorable Stem&l Brym, Pago 1
I$ Croaker t. Jett, MO. ti~p., 93 3. W* (en) 74, 70, ltrer held that the aord whlghwey'@, as used in a stat- ute relating ZL) the operaclon OC automobiles on pub110 hlgh- =YsD was used in i&s popular, rather than in Its teohnlcel, sense, and was lntrntied to lnolude all highnay traveled by the public reg~~rdlt~ss of their legal status.
In i~owoll Broa. Truck Line T. Platt, C. C. A. Oklahom, EP! Bed, (&I) 879 8C+Fi, It was held that the tins "highwey" io a xxme for aL.f kldnds of pub110 ways, inaludlng a# unty blid township roads, streets end alleys, turnpikes nnb plank roads, rallrqeds and trmya, brld.ger gad ia~rlea, canals and navigable waters; in short, that every publie thooror;ghfare fa a highway.
In liallowuy v. Syatt hWa1 k Boiler Yolb, I.61 SO.
187, 189 La. 837 it was pointed out that hl$hway8 nra publie waya aa dietiaguished from private waya, the dlrtlmguiehiag mark of a highway beiw that it Is open generally to publlo use. There isr no langus@ in the quOt4d prOvi6fOXW Of
Bouse Bill,77 of the Party-seventh Legislature indfoatieg any intent on the part of the Legislature to restrlot the ~34 d the twz whighway*. In the abaenc# of any mush lla&t- ation w4 are lidvi;lling tu attribute te the LegisAatara w ia- tent to regulate only titata deeignated highwaya a~ to the rate or speed or vehioles and BP te ruaonabls drivlq r&g- alatione, end lev.ve unregulated and unreatrieted the drlvleg of ~wtor vehlclee on oounty roads or county hlghwaya not lrtriatly 9 part oi thfi Stnte Blghway tiystea.
8.8 conoslve the purpose of the Iagislature in the euaotnmnt of House Bill 77, and of lta provlaiona applicable to the at hun&, to be to aehielrrearet~ on the hlgh- qu4stfoc wags and road8 in Tu-me. t:e believe that the LeglsLature In- tended to empower the Gtste Elghwey C~amiseion, upon,thO baeia of 811 englncerlng and traffic investigation, to doters&&e and fix the reasonable snd prudent speed of wtor vehiolu On oounty hlghwtye an& Oounty roads when such beoomes ueeeauary end deslrabl.@ for the surety of all the users thereof.
It Is thsrerfore the opinion of this depaptarant, in
answer to your sp44ffio question, that the titats Hlghuay Department does have autbrity, under irouse Bill 77 Of the *5 Honorable Sternsell Bryan, Page 8
Forty-seventh Le.@leture, and in accordmoe therewith, to fix the rate of speed of motor vehicles on county roads and oounty highways In MeLeman County which conneat with deslg- nated State hif;hways at lees than the maximum provided for by House Bill 77.
Yours very truly