Title 13a — Title 13a: Highways and Bridges

Sec. 13a-47. Powers of commissioner unaffected. Nothing in sections 13a-42 to 13a-46, inclusive, shall be construed to limit, restrict or derogate from any power, right or authority of the commissioner contained in any other statute. (1961, P.A. 603, S. 11; 1963, P.A. 226, S. 47a…

Sec. 13a-48. Acceptance of highways by municipalities. Any municipality whose duty it is to maintain the highways within its limits may, at any annual or special meeting held for that purpose, accept as a public highway any proposed highway situated in such municipality, provided…

Sec. 13a-49. Discontinuance of highways or private ways. (a)(1) The selectmen of any town may, subject to approval by a majority vote at any regular or special town meeting, as applicable, by a writing signed by them, discontinue any highway or private way, or land dedicated as s…

Sec. 13a-50. Discontinuance of highway by Superior Court. The Superior Court, on the application of any person, may discontinue any highway in the judicial district where it is held, which cannot be discontinued by the selectmen; but all questions arising as to the convenience or…

Sec. 13a-51. Discontinued turnpikes remain highways. All discontinued turnpikes and parts of turnpikes shall remain public highways in the town or towns where situated; but any town may discontinue the whole or any portion of such road within such town in the manner provided in s…

Sec. 13a-52. No assessed damages collected if unopened highway discontinued. When any highway duly laid out is legally discontinued before being opened and worked, no action shall be brought to recover damages assessed therefor, but the owner of the lands over which it is laid ou…

Sec. 13a-53. Discontinuance of highway crossing railroad. That part of any highway which crosses a railroad, the use of which crossing has been abandoned for a period of at least fifteen years, shall be deemed discontinued. (1949 Rev., S. 2165; 1958 Rev., S. 13-48; 1963, P.A. 226…

Sec. 13a-54. Abandonment of highway for construction of dam. Any person or corporation engaged in constructing, raising or operating a dam for milling, manufacturing or power purposes, which dam will flood or cause to be flooded any highway, may abandon so much of such highway as…

Sec. 13a-55. Right-of-way of property owners bounding a discontinued or abandoned highway or a highway any portion of which is discontinued or abandoned. Property owners bounding a discontinued or abandoned highway, or a highway any portion of which has been discontinued or aband…

Sec. 13a-56. Relocation to straighten or remove dangerous location. The commissioner may relocate any section of any state highway for the purpose of straightening or removing any dangerous location thereon. (1949 Rev., S. 2231; 1953, S. 1198d; 1958 Rev., S. 13-111; 1961, P.A. 60…

Sec. 13a-57. Layout of state highway. The commissioner may lay out any road as a state highway either by using existing highways or by acquiring by purchase or condemnation new rights-of-way. The layout shall be made in the following manner: The commissioner shall develop a map o…

Sec. 13a-57a. Consultation with municipal officers in planning of highway within municipality. Whenever the Commissioner of Transportation is engaged in the planning of any limited access highway, interchange or connector to be located within the limits of any town, city or borou…

Sec. 13a-57b. Areas for bicycles and pedestrians. The Commissioner of Transportation shall, whenever possible, encourage the inclusion of areas for bicycles and pedestrians when (1) creating a layout of a state highway, in accordance with section 13a-57, or (2) relocating a state…

Sec. 13a-57c. Model pollinator habitat along state highways. Identification of opportunities for replacement of turf grasses. Report. The Department of Transportation shall identify opportunities in the state for the replacement of nonnative, cool-season turf grasses installed al…

Sec. 13a-57d. Model pollinator habitat in deforested areas of state highways. Authority. The Commissioner of Transportation may, to the extent federal funds are available for such purpose, plant vegetation that includes pollinator habitat, including, but not limited to, flowering…

Sec. 13a-58. Public hearing on proposed layout. When the Commissioner of Transportation proposes to build any new state highway over any land within the state, if the land to be taken is not along an existing highway, said commissioner shall hold a public hearing at which time he…

Sec. 13a-58a. Change of zone of property within limits of laid-out highway prohibited. Notwithstanding any provisions of the general statutes or any special act to the contrary, no zoning commission or combined planning and zoning commission shall change the zoning of any propert…

Sec. 13a-59. Transferred to Chapter 248, Sec. 14-238a.

Sec. 13a-60. Entry upon private property in altering of highways. The commissioner or his agent may enter upon private property for the purpose of conducting surveys, inspections or geological investigations for the location, relocation, construction or reconstruction of any prop…

Sec. 13a-60a. Entry to repair or relocate private driveway. (a) Whenever a driveway requires repairing, reconstructing or relocating as a result of state highway relocation, repair, construction or reconstruction, and there is no taking of private property involved, the Commissio…

Sec. 13a-61. Layout of highways by selectmen. The selectmen of each town may lay out necessary highways therein, not being within a city or within a borough having, by virtue of its charter or by statute, control of and liability for the highways within its limits, first giving r…

Sec. 13a-62. Application to Superior Court for relief. Any person aggrieved by the doings of the selectmen in laying out a highway may, within one hundred twenty days after the survey thereof has been accepted by the town, apply to the superior court for the judicial district in …

Sec. 13a-63. Refusal of selectmen to lay out or alter highway. When the selectmen of any town refuse to lay out any necessary highway or to make any necessary alterations in any existing highway, unless such refusal is based on a designation of the existing highway as a scenic ro…

Sec. 13a-64. Remonstrance. Reestimate of damages and benefits by jury. All persons interested in laying out or altering such highway may appear before said court and remonstrate against the acceptance of such report for any irregularity or improper conduct on the part of the comm…

Sec. 13a-65. When jury's doings conclusive. New jury. The court to which the doings of such jury are returned may set the same aside if, upon exception taken, it appears to said court that such jury has been improperly summoned or has conducted improperly; otherwise such doings s…

Sec. 13a-66. Costs on application for jury. If the report of the jury, when accepted, does not increase the damages allowed or diminish the assessment of benefits to the applicant by the committee, the court shall order the applicant for the jury to pay the costs of the applicati…

Sec. 13a-67. Committee's accepted report to be recorded. Judgment. When the report of the committee finds that such highway or alteration will be of common convenience and necessity and such report has been accepted, it shall be recorded, and such road shall be a public highway; …

Sec. 13a-68. Assessment of benefits limited. Collection. The benefits assessed for any particular layout or alteration, except in a city or borough, shall in no case exceed the damages assessed therefor, together with one-half the estimated costs of such layout or alteration; and…

Sec. 13a-69. Proceedings when towns disobey court order. Section 13a-69 is repealed, effective October 1, 2019. (1949 Rev., S. 2160; 1958 Rev., S. 13-46; 1963, P.A. 226, S. 69; 1971, P.A. 870, S. 31; P.A. 76-436, S. 334, 681; P.A. 19-132, S. 8.)

Sec. 13a-70. Bond to construct highway when application pending in court. When an application is pending before the Superior Court for the laying out or alteration of any highway, any person interested therein may execute a penal bond with surety, payable to the defendant town or…

Sec. 13a-71. Layout by individuals. (a) No person, company or corporation, except the state or municipal corporations, shall lay out any highway in this state less than fifty feet in width unless with the prior written approval of a majority of the selectmen of the town, or of th…

Sec. 13a-72. Alteration or relocation of highway for dam construction. Any person or corporation engaged in constructing, raising or operating a dam for milling, manufacturing or power purposes, which dam will flood or cause to be flooded any highway, may alter or relocate so muc…

Sec. 13a-73. Acquisition of real property. Condemnation of land for: State highway, highway maintenance storage area or garage; military purposes; highway drainage or preservation of historical monument; rights of access and egress. State owned property. Review and approval of St…

Sec. 13a-74. Payment of damages. After the assessment of damages and benefits provided for in subsection (b) of section 13a-73 has been filed with the clerk of the Superior Court, the property owner affected may file with said clerk the property owner's written acceptance thereof…

Sec. 13a-75. Determination of value of flood-damaged land. Whenever the commissioner takes any land he may find necessary for the layout, alteration, extension, widening, change of grade or improvement of any state highway, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) of section …

Sec. 13a-76. Reassessment of damages or benefits by judge trial referee or court. Any person claiming to be aggrieved by the assessment of such special damages or such special benefits by the commissioner may, at any time within six months after the same has been so filed, apply …

Sec. 13a-76a. Additional damages for unreasonable delay in taking. Whenever a referee, in determining the amount of damages for the taking of land under this part, finds that there has been unreasonable delay between the filing of a map under the provisions of section 13a-57 and …

Sec. 13a-77. Costs in appeals from awards in highway cases. In any appeal to the Superior Court taken under and by virtue of the provisions of this part, when the appellant obtains an award from the court greater than that awarded by the commissioner, costs of court shall be awar…

Sec. 13a-78. Lien for assessed benefits. The amount of benefits assessed by the commissioner under the provisions of subsection (b) of section 13a-73 or reassessed by the court shall constitute a lien upon the land against which such benefits were assessed from the date such asse…

Sec. 13a-79. Interest payable ninety days after acceptance of agreement. When the commissioner desires to take property for highway purposes and has entered into an agreement to purchase at a stipulated amount any real estate or any interest therein which appears of record with t…

Secs. 13a-79a and 13a-79b. Right-of-way revolving fund; payment of taxes on and lease of property acquired prior to highway construction. Establishment of long-range highway plan. Sections 13a-79a and 13a-79b are repealed. (February, 1965, P.A. 325, S. 6, 7; 1967, P.A. 410; 1969,…

Sec. 13a-79c. Federal assistance for early acquisition of rights-of-way. The Commissioner of Transportation is authorized to request the United States Secretary of Transportation to advance funds, without interest, to the state for early acquisition of property when the need for …

Sec. 13a-80. Sale or lease of land by commissioner. Auctions. Appraisals. Offer to agencies and abutting landowners. (a) The Commissioner of Transportation, with the advice and consent of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the State Properties Review Board m…

Sec. 13a-80a. Disposition of interests on, above or below state highway rights-of-way. (a) The Commissioner of Transportation, with the advice and consent of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, may, in the name of the state, sell, lease and convey, or otherwise …

Sec. 13a-80b. Order of priorities. The Commissioner of Transportation shall give priority in the following order in the disposition or assignment of space or multiple use or joint development under sections 13a-80a to 13a-80f, inclusive, to the state, the municipality wherein the…

Sec. 13a-80c. Limitation. The Commissioner of Transportation shall not exercise his authority under sections 13a-80a to 13a-80f, inclusive, if any loss of revenues granted or to be granted from any agency or department of the federal government for the state highway involved or a…

Sec. 13a-80d. Conformation with local zoning regulations and ordinances. The use of any space on, over or below any state highway right-of-way leased by the Commissioner of Transportation to a lessee shall conform with zoning regulations and ordinances of the local government in …

Sec. 13a-80e. Tax assessment. Any building, land or space sold, leased or used pursuant to any agreement under authority of sections 13a-80a to 13a-80f, inclusive, shall be set in the tax list of the town in which the land is located, provided no tax shall be assessed against any…

Sec. 13a-80f. Acquisition of land or air space. The Commissioner of Transportation may acquire by purchase or condemnation, in the same manner and with like powers as authorized and exercised by said commissioner in acquiring real property for state highway purposes, such additio…

Sec. 13a-80g. Disposition of interest in, above or below municipal highways. (a) Any municipality may sell, lease or otherwise transfer easements or other interests in, above or below any street, highway or other public right-of-way to the centerline thereof, other than the right…