4S6 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable John C. Marburger 

county kttoraey 

Fayette county 

La Orange, Texas 

Dear Sir: 

6, 1459, fou mbuit ?or 

rollowiag puertionr whioh 

J iu the le*s*r of 

aah wbloh are out by 

nl m.laing thla 

8 neomrary to orotm the pubth lar$e truake that haul 

ram the mine to th4lr plant 

The ear.1 oomwish 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. 

buf 

May the gravel Co. legally 

.ld an snderpess under th public ioad 

1s it is so oosstruoted that lt will not 

Interfere with or endanger the traveling 

pub110 that wishes to use this pub110 

road? 

"'2. Ii tb8 grew1 e=imnf MT i8gtily,?onrtruot 8uoh an enbrrpur will thor be 

ref&red to reglrter thrlr 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 underpase under a road right-of-way, you lmfer ls your latter tlat 

the 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 for 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 the 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, 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., 1142 says: 

wSubjeot only to the pbllo easement, the proprietor has all the usual 

rights and remsdles o? tlm mur of a 

freehold. Re may sink a crrin below 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&a 41tgae8 a pobllo 

right-of-way upon the lsd ri es lnbIvl6ual 
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 ~o yed, subjeot to th a l t a sa b a nt 

The rormu proprietor still retains Us 

l 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, 

699, it was held by the Suprme Oourt of Hew Jersey as follornr 

“Thts oarsmeat (of a publie highway) 

does not ooaprehand any interest in the 

roll, nor give the publie the legal possession of it. The rim 0r a treeholb 18 

not touohed by the establishing or s hi&hray but eoatlaues in the uwnu oi the 

lad, in the ame mumar t&t it was before 

the hi&way wed l stablishe6, subjeat to 

eaeemant . This’ prlnolple Is so unlversally reoognlseb that it would sees to be a 

work of supereregatioa to olte authorities 

to sustain its hanoe the owner of the soil 

may lay water pigee, ass, or other pipes 

below the 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, 

out the grass, or departure it.* 

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 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 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 the 

lud la his own, and he may use it for al,1 

legitimate purposes.a 

In the Woodrlng 0880, 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 l aee~at. ?or ?uPthet l uthorltles holding that 

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 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 a u8ter pipe ?or Us 

own use earath the sur?eoe so far es he 

esn 40 so without lmpsdlng tbr publio ass, 

end, for that p urpo se ma r l xsetate tbr soil, 

subjeot to suoh~restr~otloss by the msslelpallty 

as w;U insure the least LntUrUptiOn to the 

pub110 l a sa a nt.m 

ks seen In the Colegrove ease, mUpa, the owner of the See in a 

highway ;ray have to obstruot the road tenporarlly in order to 

lay a pipe aoross tht road. This teporary obetmetlon la not 

suoh aa can be prohibited as an laterferenoe with the pub110 

l a a emu. t The editor of 13 L 8. A. (B. S.) ls a DOta to the 

Colegrove oaae, supra, et page QOS, seyr : 

“It la a rule very generelly ?ollaed 

by all of the oars8 that, where the sssership 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 tamporery ob8trPOtlOa of the U@wa~, b~th4 

owner or the roe; has been held not ts ke 
. 

Bonsrsble John C. Yarburger, Pay S 

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 

to irpalr somewhat sad for a time the 

rights of tlm publlo in a highway, the 

Court, In Clerk 1. Fry,.8 Ohio 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 bp8aimeats on publlr hlehwsys. These are not 

laraslona of, but filmp4 inOl4eJit to, or 

t-ether uuali?lastlos,s or, the rlght-orusy trenslt; ths llaltatlon upon them 1s 

that they must not ke uaaeoessarlly md 

unreasonably lnterpossd or prOlon&sd'." 

suoh a wrong to the pub116 as mey be 

prevente4 by in$motlon.~ 

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 lfmftatloa upon the 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 eoaslstent 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 l esement of the right o? travel lo the publie, 

ea4 the laol4ental right Of keeping the highway Is proper Mpslr ror the use of the pub110 is so wsll establlshe4 that 

tho oltatloa or othsr authsrlt~ss la not ae8essnry~ 

via eonoluae that the les8eo of the (brave1 pit abutting on the oounty road, with'the p,irmiaslou a? the owner of 
Bononblo John 0. Urburgor, Pap g 

the foe in the road right-of-way, ban lrgal~ bull& ur.imdrrpa88 un&r 8al6 county road if it 18 0 oomtrwtn$‘tbat it 

will not intorfero with or l ndangrr 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 nglrtering motor r&lo108 under thr pro~irloar of 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-trallor rued or to br 

uwd upon the pobllo h&huay# of thin 

Sta te, a n& l aoh ohauffeur, #hall Apple 

.eaoh par to the State Hi&hwar Departadnt 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 oontroll& for the uae.of rrhiol08 oTar rhioh 

tha Stat. haa iOgiBiatiTO jurirdiotion 

un6em it8 poll00 pOllrem 

It 18 plain that 0110 who oro88u under a oountr road 

? a Dritdo Ufl6OrPaD~ ir DOt u8iDg l ndtor TOhi *u 

tat.". WI ~onollld0 that aotor T0 -fE 

_ &irtrrad undrr proTi8lonm of Artioir 6678a-8, 

ia;-to or088 under a oountr rod br war of Bald prlTat. URb.ma88. 

Tour8 rerf tmlr 

Olrnn B. trri8 

ATTOEKEiHk' GEKC!U:, OP Tw Arrtrtant 

& &+- 

LSIRS Lu shbptaw