Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-01-28
Tunnel AND BRIDGES
Mayor Post Will Recommend
That They Be Constructed
T THREE CROSSINGS,
Councilmen Said to- Favor the Improve
ments and They VIII Probably be
Ordered. Danger at Twenty-
Eighth Street.

If the common council acts favorably
on a recon mendation that Mayor Wal
ter a. Post Will submit at the regular
meeting Tuesday night the city will in
the near Iutu:e nave tunnel at the in
tersectioHI OF Twvn;y-eigth street and
tbs Chesapeake & Ohio railway tracks.
Il bridge at Twenty fifth street and an
overhead crossing at Thirty fourth
street.
Pians and specifica tons for the cross-
ings have bsen prepared and they will
probably be submitted to the common
council.
The Isl proposition to construct 4 tunnel
at Twenty-sigth street seems to meet
popular favor. but before this .nn be
dom it Will be nee ssary to, have the
city charter amended, by the General
Assembly. as no provision is mad. for q
tunnel. the charter specifying overhead
bridgt S.
y tunnel is not only desinbs. but it
Is considered more advantageous than a
bridge. The proposed undergo ourd way
Wi! have approaches at Virginia and
warwick avenues and Will leave tn
st.et without obs sruction. It will be
u bout thirteen feet deep and forty-eight
feet wide-allowing thirty f ct for the
street and two sidewalks of eight feet
each. Tee sidewalks Will be raised above
the leV<l Of the street ard be protected
by IRON ratings 50 that pedestrians vii!
teams. 1t is proposed to allow nine fe=t
for the street car 'tra cks. and the road
way viii b. separated By iron columns.
.fh. wa is are to be nhsi= of stone or
oElck masonry and the roadway will b.
paved with vitrified bricks or macada-
mjzei. The tunnel will be Eliminates
py gas on electricity
" hiIe the construction of the tunnel
viii cost more HI. n a bridge. il is con-
slider d more economical at Twenty
eiEth street for the and damages will
be less and will not involve tie city in
litigation. Thsn, too. it is better f.yr
traffic. as it VIII have an easy grade.
Another o.vnntag. to be cons idered is
that the cost of maintaining an under
ground way is less than keeping UP a
oiiHGe. Ihs estimated cost of th-s tun-
ntl is $4,000.
1t is also proposed to build two bridges
ore at Twenty fifth street and the
Clhcr at Ih!rty-four;h street. The plans
tor these crossings have already been
adopted by tie common council. They
are Of the same pastrn, with i few al
terat!ons to suit the different localities.
At Twenty-fifth street th- q approaches
VIII be from Virginia and Warwisk az
enues. crossing the tracks with three
spans This structure will be thirty feet
wide, allowing twenty feet for a road
way ard sdt walks of five Zee each.
ihe Thirty-f&urth street bridge will be
one span with an easy ,g;a,!e. IT, esti-
mated cost of these bridges is SCI. 600
each
The Twenty ishth street crossing has
long since been REGARDED. as a death
trap. AS yet no serious accident has oc
Cured There. but there have b en- n
rtlnrs'er Of i;'sir'rat!rh escapes FRI m ac-
cNGent which We're pceverGted in tire
MICH of time by the employees of the
railway company. Traffic is increasing
daily and if SOM change is not made
the time Will come when a most dis
treSSl1E accident VIII have to be chron-
iciad.
In writing OF grade crossings con-
trtbutor to Golfers Weekly said:
In tbs, list OF causes of America
railway acciieNts that might b pre-
vented The grade crossing" ranks next
IN gravity to car-coupling. Collisions
and le:aiments are NEST feared by
tmNelers aid receive most attention
from th= ncwspa ,ss:s. hut collisions ana
ueraltHnents Conh!ned 10 not cause five
hundred deaths a year in the United
stats: deaths at grade crossings have
N!iSd more than five hundred persons
yeaE fer the last several years. besides
manning nearly twice that number anI
the mortality shows no sign o. dacreas
tns. Thess statements are based upon
hsures in the ofticia, reports OF the In
ter-S:ate Commerce Commission. AS
the population of tbs. country is steadily
increasing, the number of accidents at
crossings mus; also increass in all states
tant do not prohibit trains crossing
highways al a common level
IT IS commonly supposed that tlia
grad" crossing is peculiarly deadly in
large cities. Certainly There are 10 all
t!es that have made unsnvable reputa
tlr1 in this respect; among them are
Fslffalo and Chicago. and particularly
Newark. n. J., in which city Their. is a
crossing which is tie true dark and
hlGoIy ground" of the United States.