Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-20
soLvINGTHE BRIDGE QUESTION.

A Proposal to Build Direct From the South.
side to the Blun-Great Saving in Time
With New Sections Commercially Difficulty
of Buying a Bridge.
Since the appropriation of the additional
S1OO. 900 to the Soutnside free bridge project
making $500, 0OO in all-public interest on
both sides of the river is directed to the
early adoption of the plans for the work.
At the start an objection has been raised in
some quarters that it will be impossible to
find a location tor the bridge letting the
traffic out on Second avenue or Water street
that will not interfere with existing toll
bridge companies, diminishing greatly their
earnings. On this account suggestion has
been made to buy one of the existing
bridges; but here again snag is encoun-
tered. As all of the toll bridges are very
profitable, some of them paying as high as
16 per cent on their capital stock, the owners
would want to be paid great deal more
probably several times as much-as the
! actual cost of construction. 1t is foreseen
that the adjustment Of the equities arising
from this complication may cause debate
and delay.
Meanwhile, another proposal is now
meeting favor on the Southside which would
be measurably free from this difficulty, and
would serve to give better bridge service
than could be had in any other way. The
substance of it is that the bridge should be
built, not to Second avenue, but direct to
the bluff above it, thus giving direct COM
munication between the Southside and
Forbes street, Fifth avenue extension, the
hill district, Lawrenceville, Oakland and
the East End. By building to the bluff at
the foot of any of the short streets running
to Forbes, a greatly shortened route would
be had from the Southside to all residence
parts of the CITY. Such a bridge would be
within a few hundred feet of Forbes street
and of both the cable and electric lines to
the East End. This would save the long
detour which will be necessary in get
ting to the hill districts and to East Liberty
if the bridge is to land on Second avenue
Another point is that Second avenue is
now greatly crowded. A bridge built
directly to the bluff to connect with Forbes
street and Fifth avenue would interfere as
little as possible with the existing toll
bridges which connect only with Second av-
enue, and it would save immensely in
time.
At the Public Works Department this
idea is we'll thought Of Two points have
been partially considered for the connection
of the Southside with Forbes street. One
at Brady street, Soho, the other at the end
of Chestnut street. The latter would re-
quire short tunnel, but in other respects
it would have many advantages While the
bridge to the bluff would cost some more
than the one landing below it on Second av-
enue, it would be much more advantageous
in the immediate connection with the resi-
dence and business parts of the city, and it
would do so much toward getting over the
objection of interfering with the toll bridges
a strong and popular demand for it.
It has been objected that landing at
Chestnut street would make the Pittsburg
end Of the bridge too high; but investiga-
tion has shown that short tunnel beneath
that part of Chestnut street which is on the
bluff would bring the levels about right.