The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-03
STREETS OF ST. PAUL
CITY ENGINEER RUNDLETT READS
AN EXHAUSTIVE PAPER ON
THE SUBJECT
AT THE COMMERCIAL CLUB

Then Discusses Construction OF
Streets, the Pavements, Side
walks, Bridges, System of Street
Cleaning, the Alleys, Etc.
City Engineer Rundlett read a paper
before the Commercial club Yesterday
in the series of monday talks. Mr..
Rundlett discussed exhaustively the
streets Of ST. Paul, the construction,
the pavements, sidewalks, bridges, sys-
tenn of street cleaning the alleys. un-.
foreground work on streets, the cycle
paths and street signs. A portion Of
his paper was as follows:
SIZE OF ST. PAUL.
The total of the city of st. Paul at
the present time is 5544 miles, equal to 35.-
1915 acres. OF the total area 81 square
miles, or 23.600 acres. are plated into addt-
tons. The total number of miles of dedicated
streets Is 100, and the total number of miles
of dedicated alleys is PSI. The ordinary width
OF our dedicated streets is sixty feet and in
some OK the earlier additions a width of
sXty-six feet or four chains. About four
Skins OF the street in the business district is
utilized as roadway and the remaining two
s.Xths for sidewalks. In other words 40 to AZ
rect for roadway and 10 to II feet for each
sidewalk. On our residential streets the pres
OiiI PioStfCO 10 W give from ~ TO 0Z 1eeC LOT
une roadway, six feet fer each sidewalk and
the balance of the space between the curb
ana sidewalk is left to be sodded and planted
Wild trees. 1t is to be regretted that Sew
e1Dth street. which Is more than ten miles
long and extends from the eastern to the
western city limits. is not at least eighty
rect wide for the entire length. About three
miles ON the west end has that width 1t
would also be of great advantage il we
had two Of the thoroughfares running from
the north to the south into the country, of
and Mississippi Wabasha and Rice The ad-
vantage OF such width can be seen on Uni
Verslty Avenue. the principal thoroughfare
between St Paul and Minneapolis, which has
a width Of eighty feet from Rice street to
Dale street and 120 feet from Dale street to
the city limits.
NARROW BUSINESS STREETS.
While we lack somewhat in having broad
avenues in our business district, if any,
cities can boast of any avenue in the resi-
Dental district which can compare with Sum-
NIT avenue. Starting from the business dis
trfet at Rice street with width of Sc feet, it
is gradually widened to width of 100 feet at
Sixth street; from this point it skirts along
the edge of the bluff and for more than a
mile IS adorned on both sides with beau
tlful residences and lawns, and being at an
elevation of more than 200 feet above the
mississippi river, at occasional intervals ex-
tenslye and charming views can be obtained
up and down the Mississippi valley. From
Dale street 1t runs directly west retaining
the same width Of street, 100 feet to Lex
lngton avenue (the future approach to Como
park: From this point it widens to 200 feet
and devolo2es into a magnificent boulevard
with possibilities Of great future development,
extending two and half miles to the Missis-
slppl river. Accustomed as we are to the
beauties of this magnificent avenue we can
hardy appreciate the effect it produces on
the strangers who visit the city, and the
lasting impressions they carry away of the
beauties of st. Paul.
hQ
the grades OF the city of st. Paul not to ex-
coed FER cent grade on a thoroughfare,
even In the outskirts Of the city, and not to
exceed per cent on bridge approaches and
in a rough district to make 10 per cent the
maximum grade.
GRADING OF STREETS.
The grading Of streets in st. Paul has been
laborious and expensive task on account
of its rough topography. and great changes
have been made from the original surface
Few people realize that the streets and prop
erty between Fourth and Seventh. jackson
and Broad'Way have been cut down about 40
feet. that all the territory now occupied by
railroad tracks. between Fourth street and
the river, Broadway and Commercial. has
been raised IA or Is feet above the original
swamp; that Wabasha street between Rice
street. Central avenue has been cut 40 feet
and Central park and the Immediate vcin-
lty has been raised on an average of 20 feet
Seventh street fill across Phalen creek is
80 feet deep and the material taken from
IL CUT at Tie top OIL seventh street IN the vi
entity of Margaret street. All the streets on
the West side flats have been raised above
the original surface at least fifteen feet.
Since Sine the the year ISL 1915 miles Of streets
Probably more than 20, 900 900 yards of earth
have been moved in doing this work. With
all the work that has been done a little less
than half the dedicated streets have been i'm
proved.
1 have heard considerable criticism on &C
count of the amount of wooden pavement
hit 7 Oil
mariner unjust. In the earlier days of paw
Ing there "a really but two kinds to select
from, namely. wood and granite. The wood
and for the first six years of its life forms
an excellent pavement. The great trouble
with the wooden pavement is that the prop
erty owners are never willing to admit that
it is beyond repair, and expect the city to
maintain it indefinitely. Consequently, dur
ing the last year, that they remain on the
streets traffic is driven off onto other avenues
and the street has a dilaptdated appearance.
Perhaps with the constant changes that have
been made In our streets during the last
hfteen years in the erection of new build
irgs laying of water and gas MAINS con-
struction of sewers and electric conduits. and
the necessary house connections. it is we'll
that the first pavements put down should not
be permanent ones. which, with the con-
tirUal tearing UP and replacing it would have
been impracticable to preserve in their orig
greatly deteriorated Since the days when
pavments were first laid in st. Paul consid-
cradle changes have been made in the variety
Of Dayements and methods of construction.
BEST KIND OF PAvEMENTS.
The streets have also developed to such an
extent that we can more readily determine
what class of pavement suits the needs of
the different localities. We now have laid
| In st. Paul little over forty five miles of
pavement classified as follows: Asphalt, II
| miles; brick, miles; cedar pavement on
plank, rs miles: cedar blocks concrete,
II ora n To nm
concrete. 81; pine on plank, 3.S; sandstone
on sand, .43 sandstone concrete, g. The
total cost of these pavements is 81, 594 000. We
have really a small amount of paved street
IN comparison with other cities of like popu-
iation, but there appears to be no imme-
date demand for extending our paved dis
trict, and the principal paving work that
VIII be done during the next few years in
st. Paul will be the renewal of the old paved
streets many of which are beyond repair,
with pavements of more permanent type,
either asphalt, brick, granite or sandstone.
No one, l think will urge the renewal of
the wooden pavements on any of our streets.
1t is not my intention at the present time to
go into the merits of the different classes of
pavements. Each one has certain superior
qualities and in its place, Is the best. AS
phalt is undoubtedly the most popular pave
ment for residence streets and the business
district, where the traffic Is not too heavy.
less cost, while sandstone and granite are
the best on steep grades and for heavy traffic
The use Of sandstone under heavy traffic is
as yet an unsolved problem, but it gives the
does not polish The essential for all pave
ments is good foundation, and should al
ways be insisted upon. AS the property
owner pays for the Improvement, the .selec-
| apt to be biased by consideration of cost
With pavcments, certainly the best is the
cheapest in the end.
JACADAM A MISTAKE