Sec. 13b-289. (Formerly Sec. 16-117). Easements and private crossings may be condemned.
Sec. 13b-289. (Formerly Sec. 16-117). Easements and private crossings may
be condemned. The owner of any private crossing at grade of the tracks of a railroad
company, or of any right, title, interest, easement or privilege in land used by a company
for railroad purposes, or any such company whose land is encumbered by any such
private rights, may bring a written petition to the Commissioner of Transportation for
the condemnation of such rights, alleging that public safety requires the elimination of
such encumbrance. The commissioner shall thereupon appoint a time and place for
hearing the petition, and shall give such notice thereof as he judges reasonable to the
owner of such rights, to the company and to the owners of land adjoining the highway
to be laid out as a substitute for such private crossing, as hereinafter provided, if any
such highway is to be laid out. Upon the hearing of such petition, if public safety so
requires, the commissioner shall authorize the company to condemn such private rights,
and thereupon the company may proceed to condemn the same in the manner provided
by law for the taking of lands by such companies. Upon the hearing of such petition, if
the commissioner is of the opinion that public convenience and necessity require a
highway on account of the elimination of such private rights in the land of the railroad
company, he may lay out a highway sufficient to satisfy public convenience; but such
highway shall not be laid out if the land of a private owner, with which the encumbrance
is associated, is already connected with a public highway. If the commissioner orders
a new highway, he shall assess the expense of making the same, including the damages
to any person whose land is taken, proportionately, upon the person and parties especially
benefited thereby, but at least one-half of such expense shall be paid by the company.
The commissioner may order the elimination of any private crossing at grade by the
substitution of an overhead or underneath crossing, in which case the expense of making
such change, including land damages, shall be paid by the company.
(1949 Rev., S. 5502; P.A. 75-486, S. 1, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 571, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136.)
History: P.A. 75-486 substituted "public utilities control authority" for "public utilities commission" and "authority"
for "commission" where appearing, effective December 1, 1975; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 substituted "commissioner
of transportation" for "public utilities control authority" and "commissioner" for "authority" where appearing, effective
January 1, 1979; in 1981 Sec. 16-117 transferred to Sec. 13b-289.
See Sec. 13b-288 re inclusion of provisions of section as part of railroad company's charter.
Annotations to former section 16-117:
Suit by company for injunction against removal of fence closing farm crossing, a sufficient suit under former provisions.
60 C. 200. Cited. 143 C. 109.