4S6
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
HonorableJohn C. Marburger
county kttoraey
Fayette county
La Orange, Texas
Dear Sir:
6, 1459, fou mbuit ?or
rollowiag puertionrwhioh
J iu the le*s*r of
aah wbloh are out by
nl m.laingthla
8 neomrary to orotm the pub-
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:
as?
Emorsble John C. Yarburger,Page 2
"'1. May the gravel Co. legally
buf .ldan snderpessunder th public ioad
1s it is so oosstruotedthat lt willnot
Interferewith or endangerthe traveling
pub110 that wishes to use this pub110
road?
"'2. Ii tb8grew1 e=imnf MT i8gti-
ly,?onrtruot8uoh an enbrrpur will thor be
ref&red to reglrterthrlr truake as L8
roqulred by rrtlole b693e-2?*g
with roferanoe to your tint question.as to the
right ot sn abuttlng proprty 01~11~bdldlng a private under-
pase under a road right-of-way,you lmfer ls your latter tlat
the pub118 oan only have an easementla said right-OS-way.
PO kuow or no rule or reason th t woell prevent the county or
State from dwning a fee slmple Lnterestls ths right-or-way.
80 are assuming for purpose Of this OpiaiOn.thattlm publio
only ha8 an easement In tBs mad rlgkbof-war. Nothing In
this oplnlooshall be uonstruedas grutfng pexmlsslon for the
oonstruotlun OS raid underpass8houl6 the County or State have
sn interest 3.nthe right-or-wayother 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,not inOOn8lSt~ with as6 subloot to
the easement, remain La the owner of tke 8011. Elliott, ln
hle work on Road8 an6 Streets,Vol. 2, 4th M., 1142says:
wSubjeot only to the pbllo ease-
ment, the proprietorhas all the usual
rights and remsdles o? tlmmur of a
freehold. Re may sink a crrinbelow the
m&ace of the road, it pza~ oare be
taken to cover It so that 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
set out in Jahaon v. Rethany, 15 Joinu (If. f-1 449,452;8
u. Dec. 263, whloh reads as fol~8:
*whoa the soverel&a41tgae8a pobllo
right-of-way
uponthe lsd ri es lnbIvl6ual
EiouorpbleJohn C. Yarburger, Page 3
th8 title 0r the r0m onpu 18 not bft
tlngulshed; but la eo quallfled thatf$ O~IL
only be la ~o yed,subjeot to th a l
ta sa b a nt
The rormu proprietor still retains Us
lxoluslve rl t in all -88, ~uar~lefi
s~rinbzaoi +ww or. timber an& earth ror
erer -purpose not lnsomgatlblewith the
pub1 i 0 ~ight-Oi-VW.’
In Starr t. CsmUen, eta., R. B. Co., 26 ft. J. Law,
699, it was held by the Suprme Oourt of Hew Jersey as follornr
“Thtsoarsmeat(of a publie highway)
does not ooaprehand any interest in the
roll, nor give the publie the legal posses-
sion of it. The rim 0r a treeholb 18
not touohed by the establishingor s hi&h-
ray but eoatlaues in the uwnu oi the
lad, in the ame mumar t&t it was before
the hi&way wed lstablishe6,subjeat to
eaeemant. This’prlnolple Is so unlversal-
ly reoognlseb that it would sees to be a
work of supereregatioato olte authorities
to sustain its hanoe the ownerof the soil
may lay water pigee, ass, or other pipes
below the surraoe, may ox0evatefor 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 posaesslonof it, subject only to the
easeme%t. Es may fell the t8ees upon it,
out the grass, or departure it.*
In ffoodrlngv, 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 the
pub110 have a hl#kway has a right to
enjoy his property in rrery ny that may
promote his interest or c~nvsnlenoo,so
that he takes oars not to la$ue the publie
saseiwnt . 810 uterr tw at allentu h08
loadas, la the msxlm whlohapplies 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 the
lud la his own, and he may use it for al,1
legitimate purposes.a
In the Woodrlng 0880, supn, the OauPt‘heldthat
the ?a& owner of a road right-ot-warhad 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 laee~at. ?or ?uPthetluthorltles holdingthat
the ire owner of a 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 WaterCo. 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 a u8ter pipe ?or Us
own use +earath the sur?eoeso far es he
esn 40 so without lmpsdlngtbr publio ass,
end,fo r that p ur p o se ma r lxsetate tbr soil,
subjeot to suoh~restr~otloss by the msslelpallty
as w;U insure the least LntUrUptiOn to the
pub110 la sa a nt.m
ks seen In the Colegrove ease, mUpa, the owner of the See in a
highway ;rayhave to obstruot the road tenporarllyin order to
lay a pipe aoross tht road. This teporary obetmetlon la not
suoh aa can be prohibited as an laterferenoe with the pub110
. The editor of 13 L 8. A. (B. S.) ls a DOta to the
la a emut
Colegrove oaae, supra, et page QOS, seyr :
“It la a rule very generelly?ollaed
by all of the oars8 that, where the ssser-
ship of the ?w Is lo the abuttin OwamT,
or in anyone other thw the publio, ths
pub110 ltselr has but a mre easemeat,an4
oennot prueat the we OS the property
under the surrase by the owmr o? 'tha fee.
ima even a mar* tuwrary laoonvenlesn
to the publla,,rush as a pU%lS1 an4 tam-
porery ob8trPOtlOaof the U@wa~, b~th4
owner or the roe; has been held not ts ke
.
Bonsrsble John C. Yarburger, Pay S
suoh a wrongto the pub116 as mey be
prevente4 by in$motlon.~
Th* editor or 1S L. R. A. (l?. 9.1, supra, oontlnues.~
‘%I speaking of rho rl&ts possesse4
br cupabuttlqg am&r, whlsh may be used
to irpalrsomewhat sad for a time the
rights of tlm publlo in a highway, the
Court, In Clerk1. Fry,.8Ohio St. 38s;
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,
0rtu ereate neoessary tesporuy bp8ai-
meatson publlr hlehwsys. These are not
laraslona of, but filmp4inOl4eJit to, or
t-ether uuali?lastlos,sor, the rlght-or-
usy trenslt; ths llaltatlon upon them 1s
that they must not ke uaaeoessarllymd
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~:
lXt la quite evident iron the trend
of Amuloan deolsloas that the only lfmfta-
tloa uponthe rlixhts of tho ouner or the
Isa to ooatrol end use the loll an4 other
nstursl 4epo8lt8 wlthln the 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 the rule that the uwner of the &and apoa uhleh a
pub110 roe4 is laid out hsr the eroluslto use of the soil,
eubjeot to the lesement of the right o? travel lo the publie,
ea4 the laol4entalrightOf keeping the highway Is proper M-
pslr ror the use of the pub110 is so wsll establlshe4 that
tho oltatloa or othsr authsrlt~ss la not ae8essnry~
via eonoluae thatthe les8eo of the (brave1pit abutt-
ing on the oounty road, with'thep,irmiasloua? the ownerof
Bononblo John 0. Urburgor, Pap g
the foe in road right-of-way,ban lrgal~ bull& ur.imdrr-
the
pa88 un&r 8al6
county road if it 18 0 oomtrwtn$‘tbat it
will not intorfero with or lndangrr the trarelln~~p)lbllo. The
Cod88ion0r8* Court woulg havr autborlty to rup0rn80, in a
roa8onabla mannor, the oaa8truotlon of th* ua&oQ&88.
You lnqulrm furthor a8 to the naoo8ilty of nglrter-
ing motor r&lo108 under thr pro~irloarof Art1010 6g78a-lb,
Vornon*r Annotate& Statutea, ia ordw for 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-trallorrued or to br
uwd upon the pobllo h&huay# of thin
Sta te, a n&laoh ohauffeur, #hall Apple
.eaoh par to the State Hi&hwar Depart-
adnt through tb Countr Tax Collrotor
of tha County in whloh ho nrldrr for
the regiirtratlon of eaoh 8uohh+r~hll10
owned or controlled by 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-
troll& for the uae.of rrhiol08 oTar rhioh
tha Stat. haa iOgiBiatiTO jurirdiotion
un6em it8 poll00 pOllrem
It 18 plain that 0110who oro88u under a oountr road
? a Dritdo Ufl6OrPaD~ ir DOt u8iDg lndtor TOhi *u
tat.".
WI ~onollld0that aotor T0 -fE
_ &irtrrad undrr proTi8lonm of Artioir 6678a-8,
ia;-toor088 under a oountr rod br war of Bald prl-
Tat. URb.ma88.
Tour8 rerf tmlr
Olrnn B. trri8
ATTOEKEiHk'
GEKC!U:,OP Tw Arrtrtant
& &+-
LSIRS Lu shbptaw