Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-05-12
aow ABOUT THE Bridges.
Public Anxious to Hear the b port of tn.
Special Committee.

Some time since, upon the recon
mendatlOn OF the mayor, the Common
Council adopted a resolution creatin:
special committee to be composed
or three members to consider the mat
ter OF building overhead bridges ant
President j. j. O'Donnetl appointed az
the members. Councilmen G. E. Via, A
| E. Burcher and r. j. Mackey. One OF
the reasons for creating the specia
committee was to ascertain the
and the cost. TO do this it would b.
necessary for the committee to confer
with the officials of the Chesapeake
& Ohio Railway Company.
| Now. what has the special committee
done?
The question is asked every day by
an ENDURING public, as the people are
interested in the construction of the
| bridges
| The last General Assembly. at the
request of the council, passed bill au-
| thorizing the council to issue bonds to
the amount of $4,000 to defray the
city's portion of the expense of building
the bridges. The railway company is
required by the charter to bear half Of
| the expense. The charter provides for
three crossings-one bridge over the
railway tracks at Twenty-fifth street
another at Twenty-eighth street and
the third at Twentyfourth street. All
three of these crossings are needed.
AS yet the special committee has new
er held a meeting. for the reason that
the chairman has not called the meet
ing together. and hence no steps have
been taken looking to the erection Of
the bridges. Why no action has been
taken is not positively known. 1t is
a fact. however, that there is some OPP
position to the closing up Of the only
grade crossing the city has. and this
may be the cause Of the delay. The
grade crossing in question is at TWEEN
ty-eighth street. aad to overcome the
objection to the erection of a bridge
there. Mayor Post recommended that
tunnel be made instead This. it is I'M
derstood, Is also opposed by a few peo-
pie. But there is no reason for blocking
ing legislation for bridges at Twenty
fifth and Twenty-fourlh streets. No
one opposes the erection of overhead
crossings at these PLACES. At present
there is but one crossing connecting the
two sections OF the city. and hence
travel there Is greatly congested and
the danger to life and Nnb thereby
augmented. 1t has been suggested by
members Of the council that it would
be wise to go ahead with the work on
the bridges and take up thu question
of tunnel under fTwen,y-eighth
street at a later meeting. With two
bridges across the tracks traffic would
be divided and the congestion q Twen-
ty-eighth street relieved to a consid-
cradle extent. A recommendation TO
the council to this effect will hceive
very little. If any opposition. ard the
actual work of construction would
soon be in progress.
In a short time the new electric -ail-
way company will begin laying It's
tracks in this city. The line Will ha,e
to cross the G. Il o. tracks and it VII
be obliged to use the bridges. That tie
company would be willing to pay TO
the privilege Of crossing the tracks,
there is little. If any doubt. for at the
meeting Of the Common Council when
the ordinance granting the company
a franchise was passed it was stated
by representative OF the COMPANY
that he would be willing to bear his
portion of the expense. This would re-
iieve the payers of the city, and
there car be no good reason for delay
ing these much-needed Improvements;
This matter will probably be called
IN at the next meeting Of the council
and speedy action urged.