St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-20
TO RAISE THE TRACKS.
What the Milwaukee Road Wants
to do With the III. & ID,

After figuring on the matter for nearly
five months, the Milwaukee railroad
company has at last prepared PROPOSE
ton to be submitted to the city council
relative to getting the tracks of its
Hastings 81 Dakota division out of the
way of the public for all time. The
railroad company prefers to have the
tracks elevated instead of sunk, and the
streets run under them, as it believes
the work could be done for less money
than 1t would cost to put the tracks be-
low grade. The company's proposition
also contains a provision as to the
bridges over the streets. The road
offers to build and maintain bridges
over the streets that have been in eX-
istence since the original construction
of the roads, but expects the city to
build. those over the crossings eslab-
lished since that time. The tracks
are to be above grade from six to eight
feet all the way from Fort to Hennepin
avenues. In accordance with this grade
the city is asked to establish the grade
of every street between Fort and Henne-.
pin avenues, so as to conform to all re-
quirements of bridge plans and speciti-
cations. In case of a rejection of bids
by the city tor the grading of the streets
the railway company reserve the right
to do the work for the city.
AS TO bridges. the railway is to agree
to build and forever maintain them over
Twenty-eighth street. Cedar avenue,
Eighteenth avenue south. the east half
of Seventeenth avenue south, Bloom
ingtOn avenue, Fifteenth avenue south,
Fourteenth avenue south, Thirteenth
avenue south, the east half of Twelfth
avenue south, Chicago avenue. Park
ird
south, Nicollet avenue, Blaisdell
avenue, Lindley avenue, Pleasant
avenue. Lyndale avenue and Hen
nepin avenue. The city is ex-
pected to build the bridges over the re-
naming crossings; or all that have been
established since the railway was con-
structed. This makes eighteen bridges
for the road and twenty-three for the
city. Each bridge, it is estimated, will
cost not less than $500, and if the
bridges built by the railway company
be found afterward to be for the
convenience of the city, the city is to
exceed $500 for each bridge over
street not less than eighty feetin width,
and not to exceed $4,000 for each bridge
over a wider street. Whenever the
railway shall deem it expedient to con-
struct a double track it reserves the
right to build additions to its bridges.
and expects the city to do like
wise. Whenever additional bridges are
needed for spur track or side track to
other streets or to elevators, additional
bridges are to be provided in like man
ner. Provision is also made for the use
of land for temporary tracks during the
work of construction. No date is men,
toned as to the time of finishing the
work.
The elevations above grade, at the
principal streets are as follows:
Seventeenth avenue south, 6 feet;
Fifteenth avenue, feet; Chicago ave-
hue, feet; Park avenue, feet; Port
land avenue, ~ feet; Third avenue, z
feet; NicOllet, 6 feet; Lindley,7 feet;
Lyndale, s feet: Emerson, 5 feet; Hen
nepin, foot.
There will undoubtedly be a good
deal of opposition to this scheme, as the
Hastings IL Dakota tracks run through
the residence portion of the city, and
to elevate them would he to create a
perpetual eyesore to people who dwell
on the west side of the city. On every
avenue of consequence in the city there
would be just such an unhandsome
piece of architecture as now exists at
the point where Washington avenue
south passes under the Milwaukee
tracks. >