Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1946 )

-E A’BTORNEY OF TEXAS Honor&lo Tca Seay couaty Attora8.v Pottm Coun+q rarillo, Tsxar Dear Hr. Seaya Opinion Ho. O-7366 Rec Authority of a gw company to ooBatluot it6 IlU66 60ro66 . publio road without authority fre,+hr oom- misslaser6' oourt ofthe county. You request u opimioa frm thir departmnt upor th6 alova subjeot matter a6 follm6~ . "A publio utility, a g66 oanwahioh trsmtpotir and 86116ga6, prinoiplly to town6 aad oiti68, r6lying on Artlole 11436, Vernon's civil St6tuta6, has oonstruoted on6 or mars of its distributing lima upoa and aoro66 oouaty first-olaes publio roads at poinfirwholly without any oity or toa (roads not dssigxmt6d 66 Bt6te highmays)6rithout firla obtaiairg sny oharaoter of pezmlasion or authoriratlon from the oamlmionerr’ oourt of the am&y, or 86y other souroa. "It is the wntentioa of the oounty tMt the line.8,a6 oonstruoted aoroaa the publio road aad through rhioh gas ir transport6d, is a oonrtaxt daag6rto traffio onth6 road6 b% ths poiati rher6 St'ps8sr over the 11~0. Also, it lr the oc&uzrtion of the oouaty that the liaes 60 oonutruoted dth- Ou t r q Y 6a mb lUic 4 Of Su th o titg iI l tl"66-68. lill Of rhioh it h66 orlled to the lttertion of ths gas 6omm r6p66tedly, to.noamlle *HavUg lassr6Ul6d up08 v ths oourt for 6x opinloa a6 totho oounty*r.rights ia th6 pmmis~r, snd kiag ia dou% 66 to the advSo6 that should.be gixsa, ue Mm seek the opinion of your offio6 ta the extent you lr6 la position to ifioiae: (1) Rhothor or not the g66 oaupaqr -6. rithia it6 right6 under the 8tatut6 to oon6truat it8 line6 aoro66 th6 road M aforesaid, aad (2) dthin its right6 and yt the 00~6truotion is suoh a6 to reader the highmy at nuoh polti6 dsngerous, aat am the renmdies of the oovnty 5.6it6 effort to alate this dmgerous oondition brought about % the oonstruotioa of the llaer aor the hlghwsys in the mauwr that it ha6 b66a ooastruated~6 .'_ - HonorableTan Seay - Page 2 (O-7386) You are respectfullyadvlsed.thatthe authorityto oOnStNt3t the gas line of the oanpanyaoro6s the publio road is govermd by Artidle 1436 of the Revioed Civil Statutes. The authorityem-ted from the State mad not the countyo We hand you herewith oopdes of the followingopinions,all of whioh have deoidedor disoussedthis very questions o-1806, O-2442, O-2976, O-5726, and 6791-k If the gas companyhas been guilty of any negligencein the manner in which it has laid its pipes across the public road, or has been guilty of negilgenoein the manner of maintainingthe ssme, as contradistinguished from the oonstruotionof the line, resultingin peouniaxyloss fo the county, or a~ individual,the oounty or the individualinjured, as the case may be, might have a oause of action for damagesthus occasioned,but neither would have the right to abate the line. Ristrust that what II)have said suffioientlyanswers your inquiries. Very trul.yyours ATTORREXGRNERAL OF TEXAS By /s/ Ocie Speer ' Ooie Speer Assistant APPROVRD SEP. 11, 1946 /s/ Grover Sellers AlTORXBYGERBRALOPaExLs os-mtegw APPROVED OPINION cc2QdITTTF;E Enolosures BY BHB Chminmn