Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-15
WIDENING LONDON BRIDGE.
A Plan to Relieve ConEested Traffic on
the Historic Structure.
FrOr, fho Inp6n,,


the Historic Structure.
From the London Express.
The scheme which will in all likelihood
be adopted for widening London bridge has
two great advantages-it will be really eff
fective In relieving the present congested
state of the pedestrian traffic, and the i'm
provement will be effected at small cost
Considering that $4,000 vehicles and some
10000 pedestrians cross the bridge daily
between the busy hours-and this in spite
of the building of the Tower bridge, which
Is used by thousands-you will see what
vast number will benefit by the proposed
improvements, which will not cost more
Than tlOO,OO0-a pound for every person
passing over in a single day. And what is
TO be the gross result of this expenditure?
10 put the matter ina nutshell, the bridge
Will expand in breadth between the para
pets from fifty-three feet five inches to
quite siXty-tive feet, which would give
width of thirty-four feet six inches for the
TOUR lines OF vehicles, two and one-half
feet for the central lighting, which will be
much improved and done by electricity,
and fourteen feet for each pavement, an
addition of three and one-half feet
BY this means two or three more people
could easily walk abreast on each. path.
Iaklng the smaller number for the pur-
poses of an estimate, we find that fourteen
instead of ten people could pass a given
spot at the same time, increase of 40
per cent in accommodation for pedestrian
trafnc; so that under the improved cOndi-
lions no fewer than 100000 people would
be able to go over London bridge every
DAY But inasmuch as 1t is estimated that
| 1t will be many years before SO many peo-
pie Will require to avail themselves of the
bridge, the present numbers will be reliev-
| ed to vast extent, each individual hav-
| ing half as much space again as is posi-
Die under presenttcOnditions
The bridge will not only gain in useful
| ness, however, fortfts appearance will also
| undergo a change fof the better: The
| gloomy and foreboding recess will be done
away with and an ornamental granite bal
| ustrade will take the place of the present
cumbrous masonry, making the whole look
| much lighter and Tnuch more pleasant. The
additional breadth VIII be got by means
OF granite corbelling or cantilevers, the
| necessity for widenihgSthe foundations Of
the bridge thereby being entirely done
tional pressure OF the foundation would
not exceed $40 pounds per square foot-an
insignificant amount.
The bridge, which was. commenced under
Rennie in 1924 ahd Completed in 1881, has
already cost vast sum of money, the to-
| 100000. b
Thus the citizens OF iEondion have reason
| to be pleased at the. announcement that so
| material an Improvement as is about to be
| undertaken Will cost only flOO,OOO; and es-
pecialy SO when 1t is considered the job
will be no patchwork one, but Will result
In the general appearance Of the bridge
| being much improved. 1t has taken twenty
years of more or less constant agitation to
rouse the authorities to the Importance of
having some improvements in the way Of
enlargement made III London bridge.
/ 1t may be taken for granted. moreover,
that the scheme which Is about to. be
adopted Will be the last OF the long series
of improvements which have from time to
time been effected in connection with the
bridge. for it is hard to suggest what fur
| Their improvements, short of complete
rebuilding of the structure, could be Under
taken. ~ as-