Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-21
TO REMOVE GRADE CROSSINGS.
The Different Measures of Relief Pro-
posed for South Washington.
IwiNISe, LUDLOW AND, DOUGLAS ON THE En-
aiNEERISo FEATURES OF THE PROJECT OF DE-
PRESSING THE TRAcKs-THE PROBABLE COST OF
THE woRK-THK BueBEAR OF FLOODED TRACKS.


PRESSING THE TRAcKs-THE PROBABLE COST OF
THE woRK-THK BUsBEAR OF FLOODED TRACKS.
propositions to reduce the evils of grade
crossings in South Washington have taken two
general directions One class of projects re-
moves the tracks entirely from Maryland and
virginia avenues and carries them on an ele-
'ateo road along X street or ON purchased
ground between / and streets and thence
along the river front. The other class retains
the tracks on Maryland and Virginia avenues,
but depresses and bridges them for a certain
part OF their course Both the radical and con-
servative methods of relief have been long
urged, and in opposition to the settlement pro-
| posed by the Atkinson bill they are before
| Congress today There is no necessary an
tagonlsm between the two classes Both
recognize the evils of present conditions, seek
| reief from them, and resist their perpetual
ZION. Many who urge the conservative project
| would gladly welcome the changes proposed by
| the more radical IL Congress can be brought to
| exercise this authority over the railroad and
many advocate the depression and bridging
| only on the principle that half a loaf is better
IMAM no bread, being hopeless that Congress
| will grant more
| In 1881 the Commissioners were required by
| act OF Congress to report solution of the rail-
ROAD problem. The two civil Commissioners
ia'oIcu tuS n STetl pTOJeCt anu MAJOR lWlDlnS.
| the Engineer Commissioner. preferred the plan
| OF changing the grades on Maryland and Vir-
| ginia avenues Major Twining devoted much
time and labor to the engineering features of
MS plan ana made very valuable report with
| full maps plans and estimates. He was an en-
| glneer of great ability and his report answers
satisfactorily most of the suggestions OF engi-
| neering difficulties i'll connection with a de-
preston OF the tracks. So far as this depres-
sion is concerned he contemplated the run
ming Of the tracks into an open cut at a
point between Sd and Az streets, and thence
IN the cut to the Long Bridge, with
beam tunnels at the street crossings
lie located union station at or near the
| intersection OF Maryland and Virginia ave-
nues. His estimates give an approximate idea
or the cost OF the various plans of depression
| now proposed. For sinking four tracks from
poiut between Sd and A streets to the Long
Bridge with beam tunnel crossings at intersect-
ing streets from 7th to 18th, both inclusive he
estimated that the cost would be about half a
million dollars. The items are as follows:
open cut connecting road with sunken road
ana beam tunnel at east building line of eth
street southwest on Virginia avenue 1912
hheai feet: at 1851, sSl ,053. 50; sunken road,
protected by parapet walls and iron ratings.
with beam tunnel crossings at intersecting
streets on Virginia avenue and Maryland ave-
nue. from east building line of It'll street south
west to west building line of 18th street south
west, 1888. 10 lineal feet sunken road at Sl36
Slo9 46S 40; 55l lineal feet crossings at 1916 So
Slo3, 1887. Open cut on Maryland avenue,
from west building line 18th street southwest
70 I4th street southwest, 7l.23 lineal feet, at
S75.61, SIS, 556.70. Total, S5O2 862 49," He
| adds: ''All the estimates are very liberal for
work OF the best and most permanent charac-
ter. BY the substitution of iron bridges for
the beam tunnels very great saving
III first cost could be effected"
Subsequent recommendations of District
Commissioners have followed the general lines
OF one or the other of these propositions En-
glneer Commissioner Ludlow in 1887 studied
the problem in response to request from Con-
gress and made an interesting report reaching
substantially the same conclusion as Major
Twining. He reports:
The conformation of the surface is such that
| between 41a and 18th streets west the tracks
can be depressed SO to admit of the inter-
venlng streets passing over them with little or
no change OF grade, and, in fact, u considerable
portion of the cut itself could be converted into
girder roof tunnel if deemed advisable
The proposition, therefore, is to begin
depressing the tracks at Delaware avenue
where the surface grade Is nine feet above city
datum (mean high water i'll the Potomac) and
practically continue at that grade with mod
crate variation to provide for drainage Upon
Maryland avenue the grade will gradually rise
from nine feet at 9Th street to sixteen at 18th
street in order to pass over Long Bridge, The
interference with sewers and the provisions for
the draining of the cut are fortunately not &C.
rlous. three-foot sewer is met at 9th and d.
but can be diverted at no great cost 1t will
be needful to build sewer down 8th street
from q street to the river, which would in any
case be desirable construction for the better
drainage OF the neighborhOod. = y 1t may be
estimated broadly that the expense
OF the adjustment of tracks in South Washing
ton Will be half a million. The cost to the city
of the necessary changes in sewer and water
pipe arrangements, including the new Sth
street sewer should be covered by 25OOOn He
also places the union station at the intersec-
ton of Maryland and Virginia avenues.
The Senate District committee which exam
med Col Ludlow's plan in 1888 also heard
the chlef engineer OF the Baltimore and Ohio
road, Mr.. Douglas. who pronounced the pro-
posed depression of tracks, bridging, &C.,
practicable, and who could see no dangers to
his road from flooding &C., but who sug-
gested modification of the plan SO that the |
stead of at Delaware avenue, as proposed |
by the Commissioners This mod |
itication would reduce the expenses. !
Under Mr., Douglass plan the Bal |
tracks, depressed as proposed, through South |
Washington, parallel with the Baltimore and !
Potomac. and the road saw no engineering diff |
hculties in the way OF this project. Comparing |
the Commissioners plan and his own Mr. |
Douglas said: Both forms of construction are |
practicable. The Commissioners plan is much |
the more costly and brings into the service of |
the railroads a greater length of street beds" |
He testified that the intersection of the road |
with Delaware avenue, which ia the lowest |
point in the grade could not be depressed |
much without getting into water None OF the |
propositions to sink the tracks put them lower !
at any point than the existing grade at Della |
ware avenue, and most of them have the low |
est point considerably higher than the grade |
at this point.l He also testified that as an en-
gineer he had surveyed the route and that the |
profile which he exhibited was made from |
actual surveys and not from assumed data |
Those who are troubled with doubts upon the |
engineering questions connected with the |
depression project will find much to relieve |
them III the testimony of an able railroad en-
gineer proposing for practical execution by |
his road the project concerning which he testi- |
fed.
The engineers have never exhibited much |
concern at the remote danger of getting some |
water on part of the depressed tracks, for the |
reason that no depression has ever been pro- |
posed which carried the sunken tracks lower |
than existing surface tracks on the part of the |
road where depression is impracticable. The |
water could not enter at the Long Bridge or |
river end of the cut. for this end is IL feet |
above mean high water mark-several feet |
above the highest food mark known The |
lowest point OF the depressed track would be |
at the A. street end of the cut, and in order |
to get around and cover with a few inches |
OF water the tracks at this point the water |
would have first to food Pennsylvania avenue, |
stand several feet deep ON the present station !
site of the Baltimore and Potomac road where |
the elevation is only feet ] inch, and cover !
the existing surface tracks at Delaware avenue.
flood high enough to reach any portion of |