Sec. 375.093. USE AND ALTERATION OF PUBLIC WAYS. (a) With the consent of the municipality, the district is entitled to use the streets, alleys, roads, highways, and other public ways and to relocate, raise, reroute, change the grade of, and alter the construction of any street, alley, highway, road, railroad, electric lines and facilities, telegraph and telephone properties and facilities, pipelines and facilities, conduits and facilities, and other property, whether publicly or privately owned, as necessary or useful in the construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance, and operation of the system or to have those things done at the district's sole expense.

(b) The district may not proceed with any action to change, alter, or damage the property or facilities of the state, its municipal corporations, agencies, or political subdivisions or of owners rendering public services, or that will disrupt those services being provided by others, or to otherwise inconvenience the owners of that property or those facilities without having first obtained the written consent of those owners. If the owners of the property or facilities desire to handle the relocation, raising, change in the grade of, or alteration in the construction of the property or facilities with their own personnel or have the work done by contractors of their own choosing, the district may enter agreements with the owners providing for the necessary relocations, changes, or alterations of the property or facilities by the owners or contractors and the reimbursement by the district to those owners of the costs incurred by the owners in making those relocations, changes, or alterations or having them accomplished by contractors.

(c) If a district, in exercising any of the powers conferred by this chapter, requires the relocation, adjustment, raising, lowering, rerouting, or changing the grade of or altering the construction of any street, alley, highway, overpass, underpass, or road, any railroad track, bridge, or other facilities or property, any electric lines, conduits, or other facilities or property, any telephone or telegraph lines, conduits, or other facilities or property, any gas transmission or distribution pipes, pipelines, mains, or other facilities or property, any water, sanitary sewer or storm sewer pipes, pipelines, mains, or other facilities, or property, any cable television lines, cables, conduits, or other facilities or property, or any other pipelines and any facilities or properties relating to those pipelines, those relocations, adjustments, raising, lowering, rerouting, or changing of grade, or altering of construction must be accomplished at the sole cost and expense of the district, and damages that are suffered by the owners of the property or facilities shall be borne by the district.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 16, Sec. 13.05(a), eff. Aug. 26, 1991.