Court Opinion

ID: 6697649
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-07-20 21:58:19.396842+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:01:18.114791
License: Public Domain

BeogdeN, J.
"What duty does the law impose upon municipalities in the construction of paved streets?
The evidence discloses that a side street, known as Cedar Street, intersects a thoroughfare in the city, of Concord, known as Franklin Avenue. Several years prior to the injury to the plaintiff the defendant city had undertaken to pave these streets. It employed, so far as 'the evidence discloses, a competent engineer, who was found by the court to be an expert in street and road construction work. In order to properly drain Franklin Avenue at the intersection of Cedar Street it was necessary to provide for the drainage. The engineer in charge of the work was of the opinion that it was advisable to construct a valley in the pavement at the intersection of Cedar Street for the reason that *795traffic would be necessarily slowed down in traversing a side street and entering into a thoroughfare. There was no evidence of any defect in the pavement, and while witnesses refer to the drainage valley as a ditch or gulley, they always explain that what they refer to as a ditch or a gulley was a depression or dip in the pavement. It is manifest from an examination of the evidence that any fault in the pavement at the intersection arose out of the original plan of construction and drainage of the area, because all the testimony is to the effect that no change had been made in the streets since the original construction thereof.
Thus it is apparent that the principle of law announced in Martin v. Greensboro, 193 N. C., 573, 137 S. E., 666, is applicable to the facts disclosed by the record. This principle was stated as follows: “But in view of the allegations in the complaint, we must furthermore assume that the sidewalks were built and the railway track was laid in pursuance of a plan approved and adopted by the authorities of the city. ¥o are not at liberty to conclude that they acted without deliberation or without due regard to the safety of the public. If they erred, at least the reasonable inference is that their error was one of judgment. It is generally held that a municipal corporation is not liable for injuries to person or property resulting from its adoption of an improper plan when the defects in such plan are due to mere error of this kind. It must follow that the exercise of judgment and discretion in the adoption by the city of a general plan for the improvement of its streets, the building of its sidewalks, and the selection or approval of the space to be occupied by the track of the street railway is not subject to revision by a court or jury in a private action for damages based on the theory that the plan was not wisely or judiciously chosen; although a private action may be maintained for defective construction of the work, or failure to keep it in repair. Herein is the distinction between injuries resulting from the plan of a public improvement made in a city or town and those resulting from the mode of its execution. The adoption of the general plan involves the exercise of judgment; the duty of constructing and maintaining the work done in pursuance of the plan is ministerial. The exercise of discretionary or legislative power is a governmental function, and for injury resulting from the negligent exercise of such power a municipality is exempt from liability.”
There are many cases in the books permitting the recovery of damages for negligent construction of streets and for lack of ordinary care in the maintenance thereof, but such cases do not control the decision of the case at bar. The injury in this case results from the plan adopted or the exercise of the judgment of the governing authorities and not from negligence in the execution of the plan in the construction and *796maintenance of the streets. Therefore, the motion for nonsuit should have been allowed. Rollins v. Winston-Salem, 176 N. C., 411, 97 S. E., 211.
Reversed.