Illinois Code § 12-5

§ 12-5.

Farm bridges. In districts organized prior to June 28, 1919, under the Farm Drainage Act, the districts shall continue to be liable for the construction, reconstruction and maintenance of at least one bridge or proper passageway over each open ditch constructed or ordered constructed prior to the effective date of this Act where the same crosses any enclosed tract or parcel of land in such a manner that a portion thereof is landlocked and has no access from any public highway other than by a bridge or passageway over the ditch. The cost of constructing, reconstructing and maintaining such bridge or crossing shall be paid by the district, except that the commissioners may contract with the owner of any land crossed by the ditch for such owner to construct, reconstruct and maintain any such bridge or crossing, or they may enter into any other agreement with such owner by which the district may be relieved of or released from such liability. If the commissioners and the owner are unable to reach such an agreement, the district may cause the amount of compensation to be paid for a release from such liability to be determined in the manner provided in Section 4-17 of this Act. In districts organized under the Farm Drainage Act prior to June 28, 1919, as to ditches ordered constructed after the effective date of this Act, and in all other districts, whether organized under this Act or any prior act, the district is not required to construct, reconstruct, enlarge or maintain any farm bridge or other private bridge across a district ditch, but the cost thereof, when occasioned by the work of the district, shall be taken into consideration in determining the amount to be allowed to the landowner for damages to land not taken. Nothing contained in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent such damages from being fixed by agreement of the parties or to prevent the district from assuming liability for the construction, reconstruction, enlargement and maintenance of a farm bridge or other private bridge in order to reduce the amount of damages to which the owner may be entitled. 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 private bridge, the district is liable to the owner 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 commissioners and the owner, or by the allowance of damages to land not taken in the assessment proceeding or, if there is no assessment proceeding, or, then by a separate action at law. Nothing contained in this paragraph shall be construed as requiring the district to build or enlarge any farm bridge or other private bridge and neither shall it be construed as altering or in any way affecting any agreement between the district and the owner relieving or releasing the district from liability for the construction, reconstruction, enlargement or maintenance of a bridge. (Source: Laws 1955, p. 512.)