Right-of-way (property access)

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A right-of-way (ROW, not to be confused with "right of way" without hyphens) is a type of easement granted or reserved over the land for transportation purposes, such as a highway, public footpath, rail transport, canal, as well as electrical transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines.^[1] In the case of an easement, it may revert to its original owners if the facility is abandoned. In the United States, the term "right-of-way" is also used to denote the land itself, such as the strips of land along a railroad track on which railroad companies own a right-of-way easement.

A right of way is granted or reserved over the land for transportation purposes, usually for private access to private land and, historically for a highway, public footpath, rail transport, canal, as well as electrical transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines.^[2] A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way.^{[further explanation needed]}