The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-05-11
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS,

sioners Harding, KelIers and Cone.
Observation-Disclosures Hooker.
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS
Jersey City, May !, 1879.
From His Honor the Mayor
To the Honorable the Board OF street ana
Water Commissioners.
Gentlemen:-Many of our citizens, the
good government clubs, the wheelmen,
and the newspapers have urged the MAX
ing of a continuous drive over q road
way of some smooth surface SO thaI
carriage users and wheelmen would nave
the advantages that other cities have,
and which by being neglected here. has
caused our Weather citizens 10 move
to other places offering them proper
drives. Two years ago this matter was
considered by the city officials, and plans
agreed upon; the work has been delayed
k~S-use of Insufficient laws to put them
nenA operation; such formative plans
be made effective It was pro-
provide for an asphalt system
tr Jersey City as follows;
Mercer street, At 4 the cor,
b Merseles street; Barrow street
rand street to Newark avenuei
continuing to Eight street; Eight
to Grove, East and West Hamil-
places from Eight street, north to
3, Pavonia avenue from East Hamil-
kplace to Erie street and Fourth
from Coles street to Henderson
making an Asphalt system OF
two miles.
his plan leads a smooth pavement
throughout lower Jersey City from Grand
Street to Pavonia avenue.the two widest
streets running in the direction of the
q ferries, and intersecting streets leading
eventually to Mercer street at the corner
of Merseles street on the west. It was
Mercer street, to connect with Church
street on the hill, which passes, the new
crossing Bergen avenue connects with
Glenwood avenue leading westerly 70 the
new highway which consisted of filing
in Mercer street from Merseles street
past the wooden railway trestle. ana
from there to build a viaduct to the east
side of Mill Road, and then by a change
of grade through Church street to bald
1ngs a IN the a. tre ssf pF work for this street
and viaduct were arranged for by agree
ment with the NationalDocks Railway
or near the commencement of the via
duct it is proposed to make a turnout
so that 4Te any any e psnso BASS not on aef the gvsa ad so
using Mercer street to Cornei:son ave-
nue, and from such turnout it is propos-
ed to create a drive to be known as
1.-THE South East Drive as follows:
n Mercer street at about Factory street
to Cornelison avenue, same TO Wester.
same to Garfield avenue to Harmon
street. same to. Arlington avenue; sans am
avenue, same to SD Street, same to
Old Bergen road. same to Pamrapo ave-
nue.. same. to Boulevard and on Boule,
ward north to .Glenwood avenue, and
Mercer street to place of beginning,
making a drive of eight miles.
The pavement throughout from Corne-
Ison avenue and Mercer street to Pam
rapo avenue and Boulevard, except as
after stated win be six INCHES OF stone
bottom coarse on which one inch of
clay. and on which a surface of two
inches of stone, and screenings none
larger than will pass through a one-inch
ring, will be laid, with cutters three
feet in width Of Belgian ano1 bloc laii
be that the Belgian pavements
on Westeryelt street. Garfield ave
nue. and Harmon street VIII remain
and the improved part of Harmon street;
east of Arlington avenue, will be paved
With speeiGeatiodn block. blocks / 8 because Gb,rc Of
Street can be paved with the materials
preferred BY property owners who Q
order. to get this matter under, way, L
would suggest that your Board estab,
of your Board and the Chief Engineer
and under the authority now vested in
you advertise oyer for y proposals s}pesa l. to r do the
avenue, and thence as laid out to a point
in Garfield avenue. where the northerly
extended. The roadway from that point,
as it is directed. to PaTnrapo avenue, can
as a majority Of those liable to assess
ment can stop the Improvement, it is
This route is ali IN dirt road, and the city.
direct this Improvement. if it is to be
sensibly uniform; otherwise it will be of
all sorts and kinds. It, will be noticed
that there are no sidewalk improve
ments to be made in this connection.
Arlington avenue is now so feet wide,
with a SO feet carriage way. Bayview
and Garfield avenue, south of Danford
Bayview and Danforth avenue is now
80 feet wide with so feet of roadway.
rapo avenue 1 would suggest the circula-
ton of a petition for the i'm
grovemTs 5s s s1noa4 the properly pert g oTR-
with a AZ feet roadway, which is
wider than the others, and as the street
houses would Indicate that they could not
stand a heavy assessment, l do not think
it wise on this street for the. city to put
consulting property owners. 1t would be
well to allow them to petition, have bids
come in, and have the assessment CONS
missioners indicate the amount such pro-
perry owners would. probably have to pay,
street improved, they can stop it. 1
have had estimates prepared for the
pavement and curbing as proposed and
The 80 foot roadway paving suffering
ming foot for the full width of the street;
foot for the full width Of the
$40 per running foot for full width
of the street. These prices include grad
a ang a to a aep5a Of + R Tat 81 satt where yronf str stree bs
liable for IL the running foot amount
according to width of street; the curb
ing is stimat at as cts. per
foot, which a property owner in his cal
culations can expect to be deducted from
his assessment if good curb is now in
front of his property. The assessments
carry under the new law of 1885 6 per
cent. interest, are payable in five equal
annual installments, and all or any bal
ance due with interest accrued can be
paid at any time, of course, these are
estimates, bids may vary them, and the
assessment vary, because of that and in
cidentals. This is the cheapest pavement
available for a city street, and while
I am opposed generally to a Tilford-
Macadam pavement because of it's
cost of maintenance, business and
muddiness and inability to repair
street openings thereon. ! advocate this
pavement on this route because I think
the city can maintain this. as a special
drive, by. providing a small force
equipped with a road roller, repair and
watering carts. so that it can be kept
In perfect order; in fact the bottom
stone of two inch size was especially
planned to enable repairs to be made more
readily than can be done with the large
stone in the combination pavement hay-
ing a Telford bottom and a. Macadam
top. Some suitable ordinance controlling
the width of wagon tires can be passed
to protect it. The Garfield avenue por-
ton of this drive was always popular.
BY the means proposed It can be pre-
and as nearly the whole of the drive is
ia