The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-05
IMPROVING THE STREETS
An Intricate Problem That Con-
fronts the Authorities.
The Plans of Highway Extension and
the Pavement of Neutrality-suspicious.
miHsioners Ask for Larger Appro-
priations Than Usunl-A Loan for
Municipal PurpOses-The Estimates

Among the several schemes for the en-
City, none is of greater Importance than
that Of the extension and Improvement of
streets. With a view to the laying of
pavements in the thickly settled parts Of
the city, and the opening Of highways in
the suburban sections of the District, the
Engineer Department of the municipal
government has worked out plans which,
liz the execution, will result in the order
ly and consistent evolution of the city
from the central portions outward. Some
years ago, at considerable expense to The
taxpayers, and at the cost of great
amount of time, a systematic scheme of
street extension was worked out for the
suburban portions of the District, il which
the avenues and principal streets Of the
city were continued to the District lines
through the various subdivisions, and a
halt called to the practice then begun of
laying out streets to conform with the
boundary lines or the topography OF each
division. The result is that when there ia
Q cali from any part OF the District for the
opening of a street, or portion Of 4 street,
tbs department has a drawn plan into
which the proposed highway must fit, and
as the city grows the streets, with which
everybody is familiar, will simply be ex-
tended into the suburbs to the bounds OF
the District.
In like manner the Engineer Depart
ment prescribes the details of street i'm
provement in each case with reference
to curb, the materia! for paving, and the
graveling and draining Of county reads.
In this way there is uniformity OF con-
struction of roadways and plan is pur-
sued by which work once done is not
wasted, but fits into the regular plan OF
street improvement which eliminates !in-
ally in asphalt pavement, brick cutters,
and granite curbing.
With reference to street paving in the
several sections OF the city the Com
missione-s have constantly applications
from property owners to extend the paw
ing over this or that street. BY keeping
q record of these applications and by
making estimates of the cost of the i'm
provements the Street Department has
evolved schedule for each section OF
the city in which various streets and the
kind of improvement recommended has
been recorded and sent to Congress with
the annual estimates. These schedules
have formed the basis of the amounts
granted by Congress for street improve
ment and it usually happens that the
Appropriations Committee name in the
District bill certain amount for each
section to be expended by the Commits
sicners according to the schedule. There
are six schedules and in the last Appro-
priations bill sl0,0S0 for the Georgetown
schedule, $40 100 for the Northwest s20,-
600 for :he Southwest, $4,000 for the
Southeast, s4o,760 for the Northeast, and
$13s.6co for grading and improving coun-
ty road schedules respectively. These
sums. while regarded as liberal, were not
yet enough TO make an appreeiable be-
ginning upon any one OF the schedules
and the needs OF street improvement have
been SO much greater than the amounts
appropriated from year to year that thu
Commissioners have not added any new