Case Information
*1 4S6 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable John C. Marburger
county kttoraey
Fayette county
La Orange, Texas
Dear Sir: 1459, fou mbuit ?or
rollowiag puertionr whioh J iu the le*s*r of aah wbloh are out by nl m.laing thla to orotm pub- 8 neomrary th lar$e truake that haul ram the mine to th4lr plant The ear.1 oom- wish to buy lloenses oat
ir truoka ia order that they may thur amme the publla road.
-Ia view of the above faota 5 wbul+ like: to have your oar19 eplaioa $q th4, fbllowfng pue8tloM: *2 as?
Emorsble John C. Yarburger, Page 2
"'1. May the gravel Co. legally .ld an snderpess under th public buf ioad 1s it is so oosstruoted that lt will not
Interfere with or endanger traveling pub110 that wishes to use this pub110
road?
"'2. Ii tb8 grew1 e=imnf MT i8gti- ly,?onrtruot 8uoh an enbrrpur will thor be ref&red to reglrter thrlr truake as L8 roqulred rrtlole b693e-2?*g
with roferanoe
to your tint question. as to right ot sn abuttlng proprty 01~11~ bdldlng a private under- pase under a road right-of-way, you lmfer ls your latter tlat pub118 oan only have an easement la said right-OS-way. PO kuow or no rule or reason th t woell prevent the county or State from dwning a fee slmple Lnterest ls ths right-or-way.
80 are assuming purpose Of this OpiaiOn.that tlm publio only ha8 an easement In tBs mad rlgkbof-war. Nothing In this oplnloo shall be uonstrued as grutfng pexmlsslon for the oonstruotlun OS raid underpass 8houl6 County or State have sn interest 3.n the right-or-way other than an easement.
Luthkgh the County or Stata iej have a bomlinant easement in the road right-of-way, tht title to the lan6 and all profits themstrom, inOOn8lSt~ with as6 subloot the easement, remain La the owner of tke 8011. Elliott, ln hle work on Road8 an6 Streets, Vol. 2, 4th M., 1142 says:
wSubjeot only pbllo ease- ment, the proprietor has all the usual rights and remsdles o? tlm mur of a Re may sink crrin below
freehold.
m&ace of the road, it pza~ oare be
taken to cover It so It shell remain *air and aomenlent. &r my sarry water
Js pipes under the way, a& he nay mine under it."
m Clutter T. Dar18 et s& 6g 8. W. 1109, the court of clvll appeals olted with ev2iatt approval the dootrlne reads whloh fol~8: u. Dec. set out Joinu (If. f-1 449, 452; 8 Rethany, [15] v. in Jahaon
*whoa the soverel&a 41tgae8 pobllo right-of-way upon the lsd ri es lnbIvl6ual *3 Eiouorpble John C. Yarburger, Page 3
th8 title 0r the r0m onpu 18 not bft tlngulshed; but la eo quallfled that f$ O~IL only be l a~oyed, subjeot that l asabant The rormu proprietor still retains Us xoluslve rl t in all -88, ~uar~lefi s~rinbza oi ww or. + timber an& earth ror erer -purpose not lnsomgatlble with the pub1 i 0 ~ight-Oi-VW.’
In Starr t. CsmUen, eta., R. B. Co., 26 ft. J. Law, it was held by Suprme Oourt of Hew Jersey follornr
“Thts oarsmeat (of publie highway) does not ooaprehand any interest in the roll, nor give the publie the legal posses- sion of it. The rim 0r treeholb 18 not touohed the establishing or s hi&h- ray but eoatlaues in uwnu oi the lad, in the ame mumar t&t it was before the hi&way wed stablishe6, subjeat to eaeemant . This’ prlnolple Is so unlversal- ly reoognlseb that it would sees to be a work of supereregatioa to olte authorities sustain its hanoe the owner of the soil may lay water pigee, ass, or other pipes below surraoe, may ox0evate for a vault or dig ror mining purpoees, and use it ln ssy other swmer that does not interrupt the free psasage ovsr it. Es retains the full posaesslon of it, subject only to the easeme%t . Es may fell the t8ees upon it, it.* out grass, or departure
In ffoodrlng v, Torks Townahl;,, 2S Pa. 361; 90 AIL Dee. 134, Chlet JUstiOe Lewlfi, &ellrerls& the oplnlm of the court said:
“A man who owns soil oa *hiOh pub110 have a hl#kway has a right enjoy his property in rrery ny that may promote his interest or c~nvsnlenoo, so he takes oars to la$ue publie saseiwnt . 810 uterr tw at allentu h08 loadas, la the msxlm whloh applies in suoh oases. Ha may out a passage aoross the
Eonoratilo JoJm C. Uarburger, Paw 4
road ?or th4 puqwer of dralulng his lend, or leeding rater to his mill, beoause lud la his own, and he may use it for al,1 legitimate purposes.a
In the Woodrlng supn, the OauPt ‘held that the ?a& owner of a road right-ot-war had a ri t/to eonstruot a aill race under the pub110 road bessuse t lie- ana ma his to use ror all legltimste purposes so lsng as he 414 not lnfure the publlo aee~at. ?or ?uPthet uthorltles holding that the ire owner of pub118 highway has a legs1 right to bull6 a all1 raoe under salb hlghway, seo Dygert v’. Sshenek, 85 Weudell 445i 38 Am. Dee. 8P5 an& PSrlSy f* ChanUer, 6 Mass. 453i 4 Aa. Dee. 189.
rn Colegore Water Co. f* HolLyood, 1Sl cal. 4gs; 13 L. 8. A. (a, a.1 904) 90 PaOD 105% the Court ssyfi~
*The owner 0r the fee or a elty street has the rl t to lay u8ter pipe ?or Us -- own use earath the sur?eoe so far es he + esn 40 so without lmpsdlng tbr publio ass, tbr soil, pur p ose mar l xsetate end, fo r suoh~restr~otloss by the msslelpallty subjeot as w;U insure the least LntUrUptiOn to the pub110 l asa ant.m
ks seen In the Colegrove ease, mUpa, the owner of See in a highway ;ray have to obstruot the road tenporarlly in order lay a pipe aoross tht road. This teporary obetmetlon la not suoh aa can be prohibited as an laterferenoe with the pub110 l a aemut . The editor of 13 L 8. A. (B. S.) ls a DOta Colegrove oaae, supra, et page QOS, seyr :
“It la a rule very generelly ?ollaed all oars8 where the ssser- that, ship ?w Is lo the abuttin OwamT, or in anyone other publio, ths thw pub110 ltselr has but a mre easemeat, an4 oennot prueat we OS the property under the surrase by owmr o? 'tha fee.
ima even a mar* tuwrary laoonvenlesn to the publla,, rush a pU%lS1 an4 tam- porery ob8trPOtlOa of the U@wa~, b~th4 owner or roe; has been held ts ke *5 .
Bonsrsble John C. Yarburger, Pay S
suoh a wrong to the pub116 as mey be prevente4 in$motlon.~
Th* editor or 1S L. R. A. (l?. 9.1, supra, oontlnues.~
‘%I speaking of rho rl&ts possesse4 br cup abuttlqg am&r, whlsh may be used irpalr somewhat sad time the rights of tlm publlo in highway, the In Clerk 1. Fry,.8 Ohio St. 38s; Court, 98 AIS, D&o. SQO, said: 'SeI, also, the lqmo~eaent, or bulLdln6, or ropslr 0s houses, en4 the eonstruetlea 0s seworsa oellars aad brains, oa 44jaeent l&s, bp8ai- 0rtu ereate neoessary tesporuy meats on publlr hlehwsys. These are not laraslona of, but filmp4 inOl4eJit to, or t-ether uuali?lastlos,s or, the rlght-or- usy trenslt; ths llaltatlon upon them 1s that they must ke uaaeoessarlly md unreasonably lnterpossd or prOlon&sd'." In the case of Tom of Olenooe v* Red, 101 H. W. 964j 69 L. R. A. 901, the 8uprems Court a? MinnesQfs uses the r0ii0rlng isngrug~:
l Xt la quite evident iron the trend of Amuloan deolsloas that the only lfmfta- tloa upon rlixhts of tho ouner or the Isa ooatrol end use the loll an4 other nstursl 4epo8lt8 wlthln llmltr of the hi&way is that suoh use shell be eoasls- tent dth the full enjopant of the publio ea8emant .”
Othsr oases holding the ssqe dootrlne might be oltrd, bat rule that the uwner &and apoa uhleh a pub110 roe4 is laid out hsr the eroluslto use of the soil, eubjeot to the esement of the right o? travel lo the publie, ea4 the laol4ental right Of keeping highway Is proper M- pslr ror the use of pub110 is so wsll establlshe4 tho oltatloa or othsr authsrlt~ss la not ae8essnry~
via eonoluae the les8eo (brave1 pit abutt- ing on the oounty road, with'the p,irmiaslou a? the owner of *6 Bononblo John 0. Urburgor, Pap g foe in road right-of-way, ban lrgal~ bull& ur.imdrr-
pa88 un&r 8al6 county road if it 18 0 oomtrwtn$‘tbat it or ndangrr trarelln~~p)lbllo. will not intorfero with The Cod88ion0r8* Court woulg havr autborlty to rup0rn80, in a roa8onabla mannor, oaa8truotlon of th* ua&oQ&88.
You lnqulrm furthor a8 to naoo8ilty of nglrter- ing motor r&lo108 under thr pro~irloar of Art1010 6g78a-lb, Vornon*r Annotate& Statutea, ia ordw raid rohlolrr to orou unbr a ootmty road br war or aaig undorparr. Artiolo 667&-mpra, road@, in part, a8 follou8;
Vvery ownor oi a mtor +ohio&r,
trailer or real-trallor rued or to br
uwd upon the pobllo h&huay# of thin
State, an& l aoh ohauffeur, #hall Apple
.eaoh par State Hi&hwar Depart-
adnt through tb Countr Tax Collrotor tha County in whloh ho nrldrr for regiirtratlon of eaoh 8uohh+r~hll10
owned or controlled him. Artlolo 6678a-1 (a), Vernon'a~mnotatod Statutor, dofiner a pub110 highwar a8 follor8a
m*Wbllo lilgbua~* 8hall inoludo any road, mtraat, way, thoroughfare or brldga in thlr Stat0 not prltatoLy ownod or oon- for the uae.of rrhiol08 oTar rhioh troll& tha Stat. haa iOgiBiatiTO jurirdiotion
un6em it8 poll00 pOllrem
It 18 plain 0110 who oro88u under a oountr road ir DOt u8iDg ndtor ? a Dritdo Ufl6OrPaD~ TOhi *u -fE WI ~onollld0 aotor T0 tat.". _ &irtrrad undrr proTi8lonm Artioir 6678a-8, ia;-to or088 under a oountr rod br war of Bald prl- Tat. URb.ma88.
Tour8 rerf tmlr Olrnn B. trri8 ATTOEKEiHk' GEKC!U:, OP Tw Arrtrtant & &+- Lu shbptaw LSIRS