If the view of that portion of the tracks of any railroad, crossing a highway at grade, which adjoins such crossing, is obstructed by trees, shrubbery or embankments of earth, the Commissioner of Transportation may, after a hearing upon such notice as the commissioner deems reasonable to the company or companies owning or operating such railroad or railroads and to the selectmen of the town, mayor of the city or warden of the borough wherein such crossing is situated and to the owners of the land adjoining such crossing, make such orders for or concerning the removal of any such obstruction as will afford an unobstructed view of such railroad tracks and such highway in accordance with current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Policy for vehicles to safely traverse a railroad crossing from a stopped position. All orders of the commissioner pursuant to the provisions of this section shall specifically set forth the limits within which land may be taken and the nature, purposes and specific limits of the easements so authorized to be taken. The expense occasioned by any order of said commissioner under the provisions of this section shall be paid by the owner of the land upon which the obstruction is located.

(1949 Rev., S. 5494; P.A. 75-486, S. 1, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 571, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 00-148, S. 11, 39, 41; P.A. 01-105, S. 4, 17.)

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. 16-109 transferred to Sec. 13b-281; P.A. 00-148 made technical changes, deleted reference to “structures of any kind”, required land or easements in land be taken in accordance with the current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Policy for vehicles to safely traverse a railroad crossing from a stopped position, and changed provision requiring that the railroad company pay an expense ordered by the commissioner to provision requiring such payment by “the owner of the land upon which the obstruction is located”, effective May 26, 2000; (Revisor's note: P.A. 00-148 also repealed Secs. 13b-247, 13b-255 to 13b-259, inclusive, 13b-266 and 13b-306 and, in so doing, specifically required the Revisors to delete references to said repealed sections in certain sections of the general statutes, including this section; the Revisors were unable to delete a reference to Sec. 13b-256 from this section without making unauthorized substantive changes to the statute); P.A. 01-105 deleted provision requiring that the removal of any obstruction be from a distance of at least 150 feet in each direction from the crossing and deleted provision that any takings of land or easements in land may be done in the manner provided for in Sec. 13-256.