62-305. CLOSING AND ABANDONMENT OF CROSSINGS UPON RELOCATION OF HIGHWAYS OR CONSTRUCTION OF UNDERPASSES OR OVERPASSES OR OTHERWISE — HEARINGS. Wherever and whenever the location of any state highway, or other public street, road or highway, has been or shall be changed, the result of which has changed or will change the location of the place where such street, road or highway crosses any railroad tracks at grade, and a new crossing at grade or an overpass or underpass has been or shall be constructed at such new location, or whenever the closing and abandonment of an existing crossing is in the interest of and reasonably necessary for the public safety, or an existing crossing is no longer reasonably necessary as a public crossing for any reason, then the old grade crossing shall be deemed to be unnecessary and may be eliminated and discontinued. In the event any objection be made to the elimination and discontinuance of said old grade crossing, the Idaho transportation board or the owners, operators, or lessees of any such railroad, or both, may, upon the completion and placing in operation of said new grade crossing, overpass or underpass, or whenever for any other reason a crossing is to be closed and abandoned, the public authority having jurisdiction over the street, road or highway, or the owners, operators, or lessees of any such railroad, or both, shall petition the public utilities commission for an order eliminating and discontinuing said old grade crossing, whether said change of location has been made or construction of an underpass or overpass completed before or after the passage of this act, and said commission shall be and is hereby authorized and empowered to hear and determine said petition in accordance with the provisions of chapters 1 to 7, inclusive, title 61, Idaho Code, and if upon hearing duly had it shall find and determine that the closing and abandonment of such grade crossing is in the interest of, and reasonably necessary for the public safety, or that said crossing is no longer reasonably needed, it shall make an order authorizing the closing and abandonment of said crossing. Any order made by the commission concerning said matter shall be enforceable and subject to review in the same manner as other orders of the commission. Upon any order of closing and abandonment becoming final, said grade crossing may be closed either by the public authority having jurisdiction over the street, road or highway or by the owner, operator or lessee of such railroad.

History:

[(62-305) I.C.A., sec. 60-304A, as added by 1939, ch. 159, sec. 1, p. 284; am. 1974, ch. 12, sec. 93, p. 61; am. 1976, ch. 221, sec. 1, p. 794.]