The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-06-23
Street PaYnmentS.

In Salt Lake city we find one of the
few cities of twenty-five thousand or Cvel
population that has not yet a paved street
Consequently, the matter of pavements is
one of vital interest
When President Young and Orson Pratt
laid out Salt Lake city they very wisely
gave US wide streets, and made it resemble
| Washington in being a ''city of magnificent
distances" Very wrong indeed are those
croakers who demand narrower streets
the future viii show the wisdom of the
policy pursued forty years ago.
The folly of narrow streets is very well
eXemplited by Sixteenth street, Omaha.
1t carries an immense traffic; the street is
so narrow that it usually presents the APP
pearance OF procession going up the east
side of the street and another coming down
the west side. The consequence is
that the wheels all follow in nearly
the same track, and therefore wear
out the pavement in the wheel
tracks before the rest is worn scarcely at
all, and the whole pavement must be
replaced every few years. Were the street
wider the wheels would wear it out more
equally, and the pavement last fully three
! times as long on this score alone. OF course,
| besides this a wider pavement would last
| longer in proportion to its width, with
equal traffic Now how shall we dispose of
! the extra width that is not at present neces-
sary, but will be when the city grows
larger. Iwould suggest that the sidewalk
ON one side of the street be 80 feet, and the
other (the upper side) be made 80 feet for
the present. This to apply to all but the
business portion of the busiest streets.
Then the curb could be set on the lower
side of the street, so that waste water
would run off properly, and the upper side
receive only a temporary curb. In this
way let these streets be paved Whenever,
in after years, the travel demands wider
street, the other 30 feet can be added almost
as easily as to pave it at first.
From this rule l would exempt Main
street from North Temple to Fifth South,
State road from First South to Third
South, West Temple from South Temple
to Third South, South Temple, First
South, Second South and Third South be-
tween West Temple and State road, or to
Second East street. Other portions of
streets could be widened as needed.
AS to material we find much diversity of
opinion. We have, to choose from, granite
sandstone, asphaltum, brick, cedar blocks
and shale.
Stone pavement is too noisy for main
street. In Omaha Farnam street is paved
with granite, and the noise is intolerable
Douglass street, the next north, is paved
with asphalt and is almost noiseless, and
to this we attribute largely the steady
growth of business on that street.
The busiest streets, where property is
high priced, can be paved properly without
taxes being at all high. Then we
should choose for these streets the
best pavement without paying so much
attention to comparative first cost as on
the other streets. For these streets stone
is out of the question, on account of its
noise, great wear on vehicles, and rough
ness for rapid travelling; cedar blocks
are not adapted to heavy traffic, brick
would be an experiment, and under very
heavy traffic would break up and be dusty.
Shale is too dusty and rough for business
streets, and should not now be placed on
First South street. Then for these streets
J would recommend asphaltum pavement
as far the best. There are one or two
streets that should be paved with stone
One street to each depot from the bust
ness centre should be so paved, and
heavy trucks and freight wagons be forced
to drive on these streets when loaded. For
instance Third South street to the d. & R.
G. depot, and South Temple to the Utah
Central depot With granite so cheap,
granite should be used on these streets.
The streets named to be left full width,
should, therefore, be all paved with asphai-
tum except the two streets named for
granite pavement. For residence streets
the choice will be, for reasons mentioned,
between asphalt, brick, cedar blocks and
shale. We would advise, on these streets,
that few blocks on parallel streets be
paved with each material, and the compare
tive merits be thus tested for after use. We
would suggest then that Brigham street, as
the best drive, be paved with asphalt for
few blocks east from the business portion.
That Second South be paved with shale, |
Third South with cedar blocks and Fourth |
South with brick, each for say three blocks |
at first Shale seems to offer a solution of |
the pavement question for streets that can |
not stand much expense, but should |
not be allowed on the business |
streets. Asphalt is rather costly, |
but property owners wishing to make |
their streets choice drives will find it the |
best material. Cedar blocks viii be largely |
an experiment, as many like them and |
many do not like them. Brick would be |
altogether an experiment. But if the right |
kind of clay can be found here, as at Bloom |
ington, Ill, and many other cities, they |
will prove a cheap and coed pavement. |
l think the clay found at the end of the |
Salt Lake & Fort Douglas railway in Red
Butte canon, or in Emigration canon about |
one half mile above the California brewery,
would be good to experiment a little with.
| should certainly advise the immediate
trial of these materials, on a small scale,
only one block each perhaps, that when
we are ready to begin extensive paving
we may know what is the best material to
use. The Utah asphalt, found at Thistle,
should be tried at once, for should it prove
as good as the Trinidad article, it would be
a most desirable paving material, besides
being cheap in comparison, and being a
home production.
\ Whatever pavement is used as far as
possible it should be home product and
such we think granite, asphalt, shale and
possibly brick will prove to be.
To show comparative cost of pavements,
we give prices paid in Lincoln and Omaha,
Nebraska, on late contract 1t should be
remembered that both granite and Utah
asphalt would he much cheaper here
Granite $3.50 to 3d. per SO yd according
to foundation; Colorado sandstone, S25S /
to 1913; cedar blocks, Sl.35 to SlS4;
cypress blocks. Si.62: asphaltum, S24S to |
g. SO; brick data not at hand, but about /
81. so, perhaps less.
These figures do not include the curbing
necessary.