§ 12-4 — Highway and railroad bridges

Whenever a district drain crosses an existing air-strip or airplane landing field owned by any county, township, city, village, Park District, Port District, airport authority, or any other political subdivision or municipality of this state, or which is owned, controlled, operated or leased by another state or a political subdivision of another state under the provisions of Sections 25.01 to 25.04, both inclusive, of the "Illinois Aeronautics Act", or an existing public highway or an existing railroad other than in the course of natural drainage, the district is liable to the highway authority or the railroad, or the political subdivision or municipality which owns the air-strip or airplane landing field, for the cost of constructing any bridge or culvert made necessary by such crossing and shall thereafter be liable to the highway authority or railroad, or the political subdivision or municipality which owns the air-strip or airplane landing field, for the cost of repairing and maintaining such a bridge or culvert. Whenever a natural drain or a ditch constructed in the course of natural drainage crosses a public highway or a railroad, or an air-strip or airplane landing field, the highway authority or the railroad, or the political subdivision or municipality which owns the air-strip or airplane landing field, shall construct and thereafter keep in repair and maintain a bridge or culvert of sufficient length, depth, height above the bed of the drain or ditch, and capacity to subserve the needs of the public with respect to the drainage of the lands within the natural watershed of such drain or ditch, not only as such needs exist at the time of construction, but for all future time. When a ditch of a district has been, or is to be, constructed in the course of natural drainage across or under a railroad and the bridge or culvert of such railroad is not of sufficient length, depth, height or capacity to allow the water to flow through the same without substantial or material obstruction, the commissioners shall give notice to such railroad to enlarge or replace the bridge or culvert so that the water can pass through the bridge or culvert without substantial material obstruction. If the railroad fails, neglects or refuses to so enlarge or replace the bridge or culvert within 6 months after being so notified, then the railroad, in addition to being liable for all damages caused to land, crops and other property, is liable to the district for damages in the sum of $25.00 for each day beyond the 6 months period that it failed, neglected or refused to so enlarge or replace the bridge or culvert. Such damages may be recovered by the district by an action at law in any court of competent jurisdiction. If, in the construction, reconstruction, repair or maintenance of a district ditch in the course of natural drainage, it becomes necessary that a railroad bridge be temporarily removed to permit the performance of such work upon railroad right-of-way, the commissioners shall give the railroad reasonable notice of such fact and the railroad shall, at its own expense and without cost to the district, either perform such work on its own right-of-way or remove such bridge and, upon completion of the work, replace the same. The district shall perform its work with as little interruption to the traffic on the railroad as circumstances permit. If the railroad fails, neglects or refuses to perform such work or remove the bridge by the time specified in such notice, then the railroad, in addition to being liable to the district for the actual damages sustained, is liable for punitive damages in the sum of $25 for each day beyond the time specified in the notice that it so failed, neglected or refused to perform such work or to remove the bridge. If a district, by deepening, widening or straightening a natural drain or by changing the established grade, width or alignment of a ditch, removes or threatens to remove the support from under any abutment, pier, wingwall or other supporting member of a highway or railroad bridge, or an airstrip or airplane landing field, the district is liable to the highway authority or railroad, or the political subdivision or municipality which owns the air-strip or airplane landing field, for the cost of protecting or underpinning such abutment, pier, wingwall or other supporting member. The amount of such liability may be fixed and determined by agreement between the drainage commissioners and the highway authority or railroad, or the political subdivision or municipality which owns the airstrip or airplane landing field, or by the allowance of damages in the assessment proceeding or, if there is no assessment proceeding, then by separate action at law. Nothing contained in this paragraph shall be construed as relieving the highway authority or railroad, or the political subdivision or municipality which owns the air-strip or airplane landing field, from its obligation to construct and maintain adequate bridges or culverts over natural drains or over ditches constructed in the course of natural drainage as hereinabove provided in the second paragraph of this section.

Legislative History

(Source: Laws 1967, p. 3809.)