OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Hanorable Stansell Bryan 

424 
425 

B0mrable Stanssll -ml, Page % 

Ths authority of the State Bl(Eway Comlsslon, 

tou6Mn.g t&6 subject-matter of your letter, reatr in the 

following prorlsiona of Eousa Bill 99r 

*The Stats Highway Oomlssion shall havs 

the power and authority upon the basis of an 

engineering an8 traffic invwti&Aon to determiida~~ zix the IMX~IUWI, rsaaonable and "udee: 

s road or hlnhway interseotlons, - 

way gradcarom OurYea, hi114 r u on an 

other mart or a y*. less than #is-h& 

hereinbafore fixed by 618 ,Actt, taking into oonsideration th6 width an4 oolndltlon of the pavement 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 roprlate 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 Intend 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 sxpmssion 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-- 
Honorable StanselL Bryan, Pa&e S 

alStreet* generally means a 

P 

ammgeway wlthiu the bo~nda of 

e municipal coz-poratlon, whi a *roe49 m-8 a oounty hi&way 

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 naoessarllg true that a hlgbway is a rtreet. 

In Fletcher 7. Bordelon, 56 8. $i. (84) 313, 319, 

it wea saldr 

"The 6treets of oitia8 are publla highways, 

end under the primary eo*rol or the &gislatUta.w 

Ill wood V. state, 45 a. 111. (aI) WI?, the CourtI of 

Criminal Appasls of Texas oonrtdereit appellslant '8ooatantlon 

that the road upon whloh he wae alla 

x! 

ad to have 6rlvtm an 

automobile wh1111e In a ststa of.lnto Oation ~8% not a pub110 

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 quaat1on. xt will be obcerma that the omb2ws 

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. 
427 

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 statute 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 faa 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&tation w4 are lidvi;lling tu attribute te the LegisAatara w iatent to regulate only titata deeignated highwaya a~ to the 

rate or speed or vehioles and BP te ruaonabls drivlq r&galatione, 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 qu4stfoc at hun&, to be to aehielrrearet~ on the hlghwags and road8 in Tu-me. t:e believe that the LeglsLature Intended 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 
428 

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 deslgnated State hif;hways at lees than the maximum provided for 

by House Bill 77. 

Yours very truly