The record-union., 1893-05-06
SACRAMENTO And YOLO.
To Be Joined by a New Bridge This
Year.
The Railroad Company Proposes Tc
Erect a Fine Double-Deck
Bridge at This Point.

1t is understood that the railroad COM
pany intends to renew its bridge across
the river, between Sacramento and
Washington, some time during the cur
rent year. Under its old arrangement
with Sacramento and Yolo Counties, the
company is obligated to maintain the
flooring on this bridge and provide the
highway free for public travel so long as
the bridge is maintained in its present
location for railroad purposes, and it is
not likely that the company would seek
in any way to evade its obligations. The
growing importance of this city and the
increasing highway travel between us
and Yolo County points suggests, how
ever, that the bridge, when reconstructed,
should provide for greater safety and
convenience to the highway travellers
than is possible with the existing type of
bridge.
Necessarily the railway traffic takes
precedence over the wagon traffic across
the bridge, neceSsitating the Stoppage of
teams at one end of the bridge or the
other. Teams so stopped are close to the
railroad tracks where the switching of
cars is in constant operation, and drivers
of spirited animals are consequently in
danger. Again, people driving along the
bridge are exposed to unnecessary risk of
accidents; especially in foggy weather,
when it is impossible to see the full
length of the bridge, and when the slight
est error in judgment on the part OF the
watchman opens up the possibility of a
collision between trains and road vehicles
on the bridge under circumstances where
| the occupants OF such vehicles would
have very slim chance to escape death
or severe injury.
Sacramento and its interests have be-
come too important to permit the contin-
uation of the present bridge facilities.
The Trustees and county officers should
at once open up negotiations with the
railroad company looking to the con-
tlnued maintenance by That company of
the bridge foundations and the super
structure necessary TO carry the tracks,
and proceed, at the expense of the coun-
ties, to provide an upper deck or floor
for the highway trat1ic, with suitable in
clined approaches on each side of the
drawbrldge, either upon the bridge itself
or on the shore; this upper deck and its
approaches to be so arranged that the
highway traffic will be completely sepa-
rated from the railroad traffic, not only
over the bridge, but on each side of the
bridge. The railroad company have am
pie grounds in Sacramento, the people of
| Washington no doubt would be willing
to provide anything required in connec-
ton with this enterprise on their side of
the river, and therefore it might not be
too much to ask that the railroad COM
pany provide the right of way for the ap-
proaches TO this overhead highway floor
on the bridge.
In this case the necessary additions to
provide these improved highway facili-
| ties should not exceed $4,000 over and
above the cost of renewing the bridge on
the present plan, and our city authorities,
together with the Yolo and Sacramento
! County officers, should lose no time in
arranging to contribute as much as this,
If necessary, to have this most desirable
public Improvement carried out this
year. The old City Hall and jail build
ing was once offered to the railroad COM
pany, and it is possible they may now be
able to make some use of it in future ex-
tension OF their yards and station facili-
ties. AS it stands how, it's value is
merely nominal to the city. If Sacra-
mento City cannot contribute in money
its proper proportion of the cost of the
new and improved highway bridge, let
an effort be made to get the railroad COM
pany to accept the old City Hall and jail
lot in lieu OF the money.