City of Knoxville v. Southern Ry. Co.

149 Tenn. 291
Tennessee Supreme Court·Decided September 15, 1923·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Mr. Justice Hall

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The original bill in this cause was filed by the municipality of the city of Knoxville against the Southern Railway Company (an interstate railway corporation) to compel it, by mandatory injunction, to construct and perpetually maintain, at its expense, a bridge or viaduct over and across its tracks on Broadway or Broad street in the city of Knoxville, in accordance with the provisions of an [293] ordinance passed by the board of commissioners of said municipality on June 20, 1922, as shown by plans and specifications on file in the office of the engineer of said municipality; a general plan and specification of which was filed as Exhibit G to complainant’s bill.

The ordinance, on which the relief sought is predicated, is as follows:

“An ordinance to require Southern Railway Company to construct and maintain at its own expense an overhead viaduct over and across its tracks on Broadway.
“Whereas, Broadway is and has been for many years a public street in the city of Knoxville; and
“Whereas, the Southern Railway Company has constructed and maintained for many years á nümber of railroad tracks across said Broadway at grade which said tracks are either owned or controlled ■ by it or operated under lease from other railroad corporations; and
“Whereas, the growth of the transportation business of said Southern Railway Company is requiring greater and more constant use of said tracks by said Southern .Railway Company in the operation of trains thereon, which increased use creates an inconvenient and dangerous hazard and risk to the life, limb and property of the citizens and residents of Knoxville using said Broadway as a street or highway; and
“Whereas, the growth and increase of population of said city is daily requiring the use of said Broadway by greater numbers of persons and vehicles which cross said\ tracks at grade at all hours of the day and night; and
“Whereas, the operation of trains of said Southern Railway upon its said tracks over Broadway at grade has become so inconvenient and unsafe to the public in its right[294] ful use of said Broadway that the public welfare requires a separation of the crossing of said street and said railroad tracks:
“Now, therefore—
“Section 1. Be it ordained by the board of commissioners of the city of Knoxville that the public health, safety, convenience and necessity requires the construction and maintenance of a viaduct to carry the public travel and traffic over and above said Southern Railway Company’s tracks bn Broadway in the city of Knoxville.
“Section 2. Be it further enacted that said Southern Railway Company be and is hereby required at its own cost and expense to b.uild and construct a viaduct and approaches thereto over and across its said tracks on Broadway in the city of Knoxville, said viaduct and approaches thereto shall be constructed the full width of-said Broadway, including the sidewalks, and shall extend northwardly on and along Broadway from the point where the north line of Jackson avenue intersects the same on the east and the north line of Oak street intersects the same on the west to the point where the south line of Park avenue intersects Broadway on the east. Said Southern Railway Company shall construct said viaduct and approaches in accordance with the plans, profiles, specifications and data on file in the office of the engineer of the city of Knoxville: Provided further, that said Southern Railway Company shall construct and maintain at its own expense inclined approaches or ramps to connect Depot street with the proposed viaduct and shall also construct and maintain at its own expense an additional ramp or approach to connect McGhee street with the proposed viaduct.
[295] “Section 8. Be it further ordained that said viaduct and approaches and ramps shall be of such design, material and construction as shown on the aforesaid plans, blue prints, specifications and data on file in the office of the engineer of the city of Knoxville and approved by the board of commissioners of the city of Knoxville, unless said Southern Railway Company shall within thirty days from the date this ordinance is passed submit plans, profiles, specifications and other data suggesting changes in or in lieu of the plans of the city engineer, whereupon said plans and specifications submitted by said Southern Railway'Company if approved by the board of commissioners shall be and become the plans and specifications upon which said viaduct" and its approaches thereto shall be constructed; .Provided, however, that if within said thirty ■days said Southern Railway Company shall signify in writing to said board of commissioners in good faith its intention to comply with this ordinance and shall ask for an extension of time within which to submit plans and specifications for said viaduct and approaches, said board of commissioners may for good cause shown extend said time for a reasonable period, not, however, to exceed thirty days.
“Section 4. Be it further ordained that said Southern Railway Company shall within sixty - days from the date this ordinance becomes effective commence in good faith to build said viaduct and approaches and to do said construction work with all practical despatch so that said viaduct shall be complete and open to public travel in the shortest practical time.
“Section 5. Be it further ordained that from and after the completion of said viaduct and approaches as herein [296] provided, it shall be the duty of said Southern Railway Company to perpetually maintain' said viaduct ánd approaches in said condition of repair that the same shall at all times be reasonably safe and convenient for the use of the public.
“Section 6. Be it further ordained that immediately upon the passage of this ordinance the recorder of said city of Knoxville shall deliver to the agent of Southern Railway Company at Knoxville, Tennessee, a certified copy hereof and shall also mail by registered máil, postage prepaid, to Fairfax Harrison, president of said Southern Railway Company at Washington, D. C., a certified copy hereof and said recorder shall immediately submit to the board of commissioners of said city of Knoxville a certificate showing that he has complied with this'ordinance.
“Section 7. Be it further ordained that if said Southern Railway Company shall fail to comply with this ordinance as hereinbefore provided, the board of commissioners of the city of Knoxville be and are hereby authorized and directed to at once institute and prosecute such legal proceedings as may be necessary and proper to compel said Southern Railway Company to comply fully with this ordinance.
“Section 8. Be it further ordained that this ordinance take effect seventeen days after its passage and entry at large on the minutes of the board, the public welfare requiring it.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

City of Knoxville v. Southern Ry. Co., 149 Tenn. 291 (Tenn. 1923).

149 Tenn. 291 (City of Knoxville v. Southern Ry. Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

City of Memphis v. Southern Ry. Co.
67 S.W.2d 552 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1934)