The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-07-25
BAD BRIDGES.
Deplorable Condition Of
the Big Boulevard
Spans.
IRON LITERALLY ROTTED AWAY
Commissioners Inspect the
Southern Section of the
County Road.
IRON LITERALLY ROTTED AWAY

1.-THE great trouble is,' said a citizen
who drove over the southern section OF
the Boulevard the other day, that the
large majority of the people of Hudson
county don't know how great road they
have in their Boulevard. 1t is one con-
tinuous sheet from Fourteenth street,
Hoboken, around the loops to Bergen
Point of twenty miles, and l am not
afraid to say there is not another road
like it anywhere in the United States.
That may seem an exaggeration to most
people who never traverse the full ex-
tent of the big road, but I am willing
to stand by my statement.
It may be that this citizen was over
enthusiastic. but there is no doubt that
the big county road is at present some
thing over which the county has reason
to be proud.
The Boulevard Commissioners started
cut yesterday to inspect the road. Daniel
Y. Lewis, Charles Birdsall and Robert
Urquhart, who compose the Board, did
the inspecting. They travelled the sec
ton of the road extending from Newark
avenue to Bergen Point. The first defect
in the road was found at the bridge
which crosses the Pennsylvania Railroad
Bridge. This is in a bad condition and
greatly needs repairs. The paint has al
most entirely disappeared, and one Sec
ton of the railing on the east side has
worked loose from the bolts which Sc
cure it to the foundations. 1t is merely
held in place by some wire, which is
fastened to the next section north, which
keeps it from falling over. The absence
of paint has exposed the iron of the
bridge to the action of the elements, and
it is almost entirely covered with a thick
coat of rust The structural portion of
the bridge, the braces, trusses and piers,
by which the roadbed is supported, is
also in an unseund condition. They are
covered WIN rust, and in places are badly
corroded. The worst feature of this, per-
haps, is the fact that the greater part
of these defects are not visible to the
naked eye and the ordinary observer.
Only an expert in structural iron, after
a scientific examination, can discover
them all.
Deplorable as the condition of this bridge
was, that over the tracks of the New Jer-
sey Central Railroad at Bayonne was
much worse. Here it did not require the
eye of an expert to see that the bridge
was in an advanced state of decay and a
standing menace to the life and limb of
all who have occasion to cross it. The
foot and roadways of this bridge are of
asphalt, which is laid on a bed of cor
rugated iron, which in turn is upheld by
iron supports. AS one crosses the bridge
the first thing that attracts his attention
is the deplorable condition of the as
phalt. In many places large depressions
are worn into it, and it is full of cracks
and small crevices. Here and there you
see small patches made of sections of half
inch plank which have been placed there
to cover actual holes which, if they were
not protected in this way, would let the
unwary traveller drop through to the
tracks thirty feet below. One large hole
of this kind yesterday was plugged up
with a piece of concrete sewer pipe. 1t
was between the road bed and foot path
under one of the cross supports to the
bridge and in an exceedingly dangerous
place. Here the cause of the trouble is
plainly apparent to the naked eye and it
needs no expert in structural iron or any
timing else to point out the defects The
iron which made the bed on which the as
phalt was laid has corroded away, so that
it crumbles in your hand like so much
clay. T4.ls has fallen away and leaving
nothing to sustain the asphalt has allow
ed sections of the road bed and footway to
drop down to the tracks.
1t is when you walk under the bridge
that the ravages which time and the
elements have made become more appar-
ent. You can plainly see where the cor
rugated road bed has rusted out and worn
away, while the supports and braces ap-
pear to be going the same way. Most
experts will tell you that the life of
Btructural iron. such as is used in the
construction of these bridges, is about six
years, and they have been built now
about that period without having had
anything done to them in the way of ex
tensive repairs. No doubt the Freeholders
when they cut down the appropriation of
the Commissioners were not aware of
the deplorable condition of these bridges
and the immediate necessity of at once
placing them in good condition. One thing
Is certain and that is the county is re-
sponsible for the condition of these bridges
and some day not very far distant either,
some one is going to meet with a serious
accident while crossing one of these spans
and the county will have one or more
large damage suits on its hands, The
Commissioners maintain that all tho six
bridges along the route of the Boulevard
are in similar condition and that 1t is
simply impossible for them to do anything
toward placing them in proper shape with
the amount placed at their disposal by the
Freeholders. There is a question whether
under the law creating the Boulevard
commissioners the Freeholders have any
alternative but to give them the sum they
ask for. and it is very likely that the
courts will be called upon to settle the
matter.
The section of the Boulevard traversed
Yesterday was itself in excellent condi-
tion. For the entire eight miles covered
me road bed was as smooth as billiard
table. Ruts and holes were conspicuous
hy their absence and from curb to curb
the road seemed to be as perfect as
human ingenuity could make it. The
first defects, if they may be called such,
were found in the lower end of the
Bayonne section Here occasionally what
has recently been a small hole was met
with. These were due to the connections
uA11JsRS OF FACE
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