Opinion ID: 2019651
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Heading: Public Highway Under Sec. 80.01 (2), Stats.

Text: Sec. 80.01 (2), Stats., provides in part, All highways not recorded which have been worked as public highways ten years or more are public highways, ... (Italics supplied.) The two acres of land conveyed by the former owner to the water-utility company in 1924 or 1925 was landlocked with no access to the public highway, assuming the existing roadway was a private road and not a public highway. Therefore, an easement to use such existing roadway as a means of access to, and egress from, such two-acre tract would be implied to have passed to the grantee utility company because such right of way was one of necessity. Sicchio v. Alvey (1960), 10 Wis. (2d) 528, 538, 103 N. W. (2d) 544, and Bullis v. Schmidt (1958), 5 Wis. (2d) 457, 461, 93 N. W. (2d) 476. The city, as successor in title to the utility company, succeeded to its easement rights. Inasmuch as such easement is appurtenant to land held by the city in its proprietary capacity, the easement is held in like capacity. The use of a way of necessity is permissive and not adverse, and cannot constitute the foundation of a prescriptive easement. 1 Thompson, Real Property (perm. ed.), p. 712, sec. 432; Waubun Beach Asso. v. Wilson (1936), 274 Mich. 598, 265 N. W. 474, 103 A. L. R. 983. Furthermore, one entitled to use a private way has the right to make reasonable repairs and improvements thereto so long as he does not increase the burden on the servient estate. Knuth v. Vogels (1953), 265 Wis. 341, 345, 61 N. W. (2d) 301, and cases cited in Anno. 112 A. L. R. 1303. Indeed, if such roadway was not a public highway, the city as owner of the right of way would be obligated to maintain it, if anyone were so obligated. Holt v. Wissinger (1958), 145 Conn. 106, 139 Atl. (2d) 353. Therefore, the city in its operations in improving and maintaining the roadway was merely doing that which any private owner of an easement of way would have a right to do. We cannot believe that the legislature in enacting sec. 80.01 (2), Stats., ever intended the absurd result that a municipality, in the position of the city here, could convert into a public highway its previous existing easement of way by carrying on works of improvement and maintenance over a ten-year period. There would be nothing in such activities of the city which would apprise the plaintiff owners that a private way was being changed into a public highway. Minocqua v. Neuville (1921), 174 Wis. 347, 353, 182 N. W. 471, and State ex rel. Lightfoot v. McCabe (1889), 74 Wis. 481, 484, 43 N. W. 322. The statutory words highways not recorded are ambiguous. In view of this we should adopt an interpretation that will avoid such an absurd result as that contended here by the city. State v. Surma (1953), 263 Wis. 388, 395, 57 N. W. (2d) 370. Therefore, we determine that the existing roadway, over which the city's easement of necessity extended, was not a highway not recorded within the meaning of sec. 80.01 (2), Stats. This will require a reversal of the judgment below unless the city is entitled to prevail on its motion for review grounded on the premise that the roadway and spur had been established as a public highway by user.