The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-22
GRADE CROSSING COMMISSION
HEARS OF W0RCESTER'S
WANTS
Continued from Page 1.)

pointed
study the question again, consisting OF
Messrs. Herring, Desmond and Nc
Clure.
1.-THE first commission reported in
! favor of an elevation Of the tracks, the
second commission in favor of COM
| plete elevation of the tracks, the sec
| ond commission in favor OF com
plete elevation of the tracks of IL feet
at Union Station, and the so-called
| Herring commission reported a still
higher elevation. This last commission
recommended the construction of stone
bridges wherever practical. After the
| report of the Herring commission, the
mayor was directed to petition the
| Legislature for special legislation along
| the lines of the Herring commission re-
! port and specific legislation on certain
points. Extended hearings were given
by the committee on railroads of the
/ Legislature, and as a result of these
( hearings the act of 1900, containing
| concessions on both sides, was passed,
providing for the abolition of the cross
| ings on the southern roads and con-
tanning, however, the provision that all
your DEGREES shall provide for an eleva-
ton Of the tracks Of IL feet at Union
Station.
This bill provides certain fixed
ton of IL feet no more and no less, at
Union Station. That at Green Street
there shall be a cut of no more than
three feet in the street and the street
shall be spanned by bridge giving Is
feet head room in the clear. The next
fixed point is that at Southbridge
Street the street shall not be lowered
and there shall be head room of Is
feet. At Hammond Street there must
be a head room of II feet with no
change of street At Grand Street
there shall not be an elevation of the
tracks of more than six feet.
From this review, it is seen that the
most important features of the work
of this commission are the character
of the bridges, width of streets and
cut in streets not provided for in this
act.
with reference to the character of
the bridges, the three commissions rec
ommend stone arches, because of the
number of people who travel through
the street as compared with the num-
Der on the railroad and the Importance
Of the streets. I apprehend there will
be no opposition to stone arches at
Grafton, Green and Madison Streets.
I'VE ask also at Grafton Street a
widening Of the street from so to so
feet for the reason that at the present
time, the entire width Is open to travel
by teams, there being no differentia-
ton between roadway and sidewalk.
There is also a crossing by an electric
road. We feel we should have equally
good facilities for getting under, the
bridge, and this can be accomplished
only by widening the street to so feet.
Franklin Street crosses under the
railroads at a very oblique angle so it
Is impracticable to construct anything
but a steel bridge. We should like to
get the best possible. We ask only
what Is reasonable. At Green Street
we ask for a stone arch Washington
and Plymouth Streets will be crossed
by steel bridges; at least that sugges-
ton will be made.
Madison Street will be a very i'm
portant street and we apprehend no OPP
position to a stone bridge. Herman
Street will cross the tracks at nearly
right angles and the city will ask for a
stone bridge at that point
Coming to Southbridge Street, APP
prehend the construction of an entirely
new bridge, the Albany tracks going up
20 or % feet and the New Haven road
about two feet. At Hammond Street
a 10 feet Roadway with steel bridge will
be asked for. At Gardner Street the
city will ask strenuously for a stone
bridge. At Grand Street the sugges-
ton will be for a steel bridge.
ION the Norwich track of the New
Haven road, the Southgate Street
crossing will not have any elevation of
the tracks but the street will be cut
considerably. Just what effect this
cut will have on surrounding streets is
not yet determined.
cat Cambridge Street we recommend
a depression of 10 feet in the tracks
and an elevation of about three feet in
the street."
AT this point, Mr.. Hoar asked what
the city wants at Jackson Street.
Mr.. Rugg replied: 1.-The suggestion is
that the tracks of the railroad be left
as they now are, involving necessarily
that the entire cut be made in the
street. l think this means a cut of
IA feet in the street. Jackson Street is
not named in the act but is provided
for in the act by the elimination of
crossings between Union Station and
Cambridge Street"
Mr. Rugg then took the commission
ers to a map hung on the wall of the
Common Council chamber and ex-
planned to them the location of the
crossings and their effect on adjoining
sections of the city.
After the work at the map, it was
decided to take an immediate view
of the crossings to be abolished and
the commissioners, representatives of
the city. the railroads and the Board
of Trade started on their tour, begin
ming at the Cambridge Street crossing
on the Norwich road. In order to show
the Importance of the several cross
ings, Mr. Rugg gave at each one the
number of pedestrians, teams and
street cars that go over the tracks, the
count having been made within the
past few weeks in anticipation of the
hearings. The figures given by Mr..
Rugg are as follows: Cambridge Street, |
3009 persons, 709 teams; Southgate
Street, 1885 persons, SIC teams; Gard !
ner Street 1860 persons, 1893 teams;
Grand Street, 4409 persons, GIL teams; |
Hammond Street, 1445 persons, III
teams; Plymouth Street, 1886 persons, |
$50 teams; Washington Street, 290S per-
sons, sos teams; Green Street, 1887 |
persons, 226S teams, 294 street cars; |
Grafton Street, 17,497 persons, 1889 |
teams, 237 street cars. This count was
made between a. m. and p. m.
There was little discussion on any of |
the crossings until Southgate Street |
was reached. Here the question was
raised as to what shall be done with |
the approaches to the street, and the |
commissioners were informed by the |
city's representatives that there is |
some talk of closing Armory Court en-
tirely where it joins Southgate Street |
and DETECTING the travel through |
Gardner Street which it is proposed to
extend through from Southgate Street. !
In order to accommodate the employees |
of the Adriatic mills, who reside in the
vicinity of Southgate Street. it is pro-
posed to construct stairs from the mill
to Southgate Street which will be cut
several feet.
At Grand Street, the viewing party
was Joined by President c. Henry