The daily gazette., 1881-06-03
FRIRAx. sUaE 8. 1851.
THR Road TO THE DELAWARE
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i Tho report Of the Committee on the
R9sd 70 the Delaware has at last been
laid before the City Council. 8 Instead
I Of tho cost being $28, 900, however, il
y magnifed to $50 900 /; and instead
i u going direct to the delaware b,
way Of Seventh street extended, the
proposed, road Is recommended to bt
an extension Of Seventh street dag
opAlly TO- Fourth street and the bridge
4 over tho Brandywine erected at thai
! point, and Fourth street graded to tn,
j Delaware River. This direction ii
dgiyen to reach the land belonging tt
Z the Dredging Company which thai
Company has already partially fillet
Z mp with mud thrown over the bank Of
/ sthe Christiana. The direction brings
the road pear the banks of the Chris.
tiana for few squares and the bridge
over the Brandywine not far above
the mouth Of that stream. The Com
!, ,mittee omit to state how long the
bridge viii be or of what the
abutments will be made, which leaves
the reader very much in the dark !;
4 another important omission is whether
! the proposition includes the covering
of the roadway with gravel in order
TO make 1t of permanent character
( not likely to be washed away by the
nrst freshet /; nor does the Committee
hx the height to which the road should
be built. How high above high water
mark it is to be is left for the
reader to guess. Altogether it looks
- IL the report was very loose and
gincopplete in very many points. That
~ faSors very much the builders in all
loose POINTS, and such matters as are
pmitteds must be apparent. A most
Z important matter is given away by
the report namely, the right to lay
railway track and use the roadway
! or dispose of it. The road is to be
built through the Dredging Company's
land and they have the use of track.
We raise no objection to this matter
but call attention to it. The old turn
pike companies used to build roads
and charge toll and some of these
companies were finally bought out and
she roads made free.
A better and more permanent road
from Eleventh street bridge and by
the way Of Twelfth street run diagon-
ally might be constructed at very little
cost, that would reach the very heart
Of the city and pass through larger
present population. What a road
oould be built for over this route we
do not know. But as there would be
nobridge required it would avoid that
expense and yearly repairs and re-
nswAb and also the expense of a bridge
tender. I II the Court House is
central point Of the city, then road
By the way of Eleventh street bridge
would lead directly to that point.
u 2 bridge is not required by travel
there.is some risk in building it. A
road by Eleventh street would enable
the city 70 judge better whether the
travel from the river would warrant
the expense of the erection of bridge
and keeping bridge tender The
city once built a market house after
long years Of clamor for it, that Was
found to be of no use, and after it had
stood about twenty years and rotted
cut, took il away and planted the site
with shade trees. Don't let us build
bridge that We will not use. Is it
not best TO test the necessity for it?
Then we will not be guilty of a folly.
The Levy Court will shortly renew
the Eleventh street bridge with a much
better one of iron. 1t will not be
likely to take . new bridge off our
hands il it should prove not to be
necessary, or to relieve the city of the
expense Of q bridge tender.