The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-28
% NILES OF PAVEMENT.
One fifth Of SaVannah'S Streets Under
Stone, Shell and Asphalt.

Over Ten Miles of Paving Laid in the
Last Five Years-The Work to be
Continued in the Fall on West and
East Broad Streets-Abuse of the
Asphalted Streets Will Prevent Its
Future Use as a Paving Material-A
Mixture Which will Make Shell
Roadway Equal to Rock.
Savannah is rapidly becoming a paved
city, and if the same ratio of paving is
kept up for the next ten years as that &C
cOmplished in the last five all of the
principal streets win be improved in this
respect. The proportion of paving to the
street mileage is one-fifth. There is lis
miles of street, % miles of which is under
pavements. This is divided up as follows:
Stone s, shell 6, macadam and as
phalt g.
The bulk of the work has been done in
the last five years, over ten miles of as
phalt and shell having been laid in that
time. Next November paving will be
started again by the street and lane de-
partment, and few more miles will be
added. 1t is probable that the first work
will be done on West Broad street, the
intention being to graywacke its entire
length. After this East Broad street s
improvement will be completed south
from Jones street and then Savannah
will have two splendid thoroughfares on
the eastern and western sides.
Most of the paving has been done on the
streets running east and west because
they were more in need of Improvement
in Nfl, ~. -
cheap but substantial shell roadway was
tried as an experiment.
TO PUT DOWN MORE SHELL
Its success has been so thoroughly
demonstrated that a considerable amount
OF this class of paving will probably be
done in the streets south of Liberty street
within the next few years. For residence
streets it is regarded the cheapest that
can be put down, and if little churt, a
species of decayed flint and other stone
material that can be secured in the
| mountainous region of North Georgia at a
slight, cost were mixed with the shells
the pavement would be the equal of
asphalt and the superior of many stone
| roadways.
While asphalt makes an attractive
pavement it is not likely that the city will
put down any more of it for long time
for two reaSOnS-cOSt and abuse by heavy
uIdllC' IL IS COSTLY pavement, and II
taken care of would last a long time, but
Just as soon as a street is asphalted in
Savannah it seems as if all the heavy
traffic of the city seeks it, even though it
may be inconvenient for business, be-
cause of the comfort and ease experienced
in driving. Bull street even has come in
for its share of abuse in this respect, al
though it is a residence and not a bust
ness street
NO MORE ASPHALT SOON
The city fathers in consequence will
stick to belgian blocks and shells for
long time to come This material is bet
ter adapted to the business part of the
city or sections subjected to heavy travel,
and has more power of resistance than
asphalt. The condition of the
Broughton and Congress street pave
ments from constant subsection to
cotton trucks and other heavy vehicles
shows that unless an ordinance to reg
ulate travel on asphalt pavements could
be enforced it would not be very wise
policy to continue paving the business
streets with asphalt.
Savannah is forging ahead as one of
the paved cities of the south, and within
few years she will be metropolitan in
this matter.