The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-23
THE NEW BRIDGE PLANS.
Secretary Root to Receive the Re
port of the Engineers Soon.


port of the Engineers Soon.
The board of engineer officers appointed
By Secretary Root on March 2 to select
a site, formulate plans, specifications, and
estimates for a passenger bridge across
the Potomac, to replace the Long Bridge
and to be located within 500 feet of that
structure, has practically completed its
report, and will submit it to the Secretary
of War in short time. The board is
composed OF tI.e following officers, Sc
iected from the Corps Of Engineers:
Lieut. Col. Charles J. Allen, Capt Ed
ward Burr, Capt Lansing H. Beach, aad
First. Lieut.. George NJ, Hoffman, re-
corder.
The bill passed by Congress on Feb
ruay z authorizes the Secretary Of War
to enter into d contract with the Balti-
more and Potomac Railroad Company .
construct this highway bridge The sum
Of $56S,o53 has been appropriated and the
structure must be completed by February
Z, 1858.
The plans favored by the Engineer
Board viii make the bridge cost just
S56S 0G0 and provide for a steel structure
resting on masonry piers There will be
seven spans, each go fest long and tive
spans, each 200 feet long, with a draw
brIdge span 250 feet This viii give the
bridge property total length OF 100 feet
There viii be nine piers and two abut-
ments of masonry. The draw pier viii
contain 1,St0 cubic yards of masonry. The
floor of the bridge will consist Of steel
plates, covered with asphalt The piers
viii be 115 feet farther apart than those Of
the Long Bridge and will lessen the dan
ger Of the ice jams which cause floods
The draw viii be sixty-efght feet wider
than that on the old Long Bridge, and
win lessen the liability OF accidents.
The new structure viii be located about
800 feet above the present bridge. The ap-
preach at the north end viii consist of
a causeway paved with stone, with a Io9-
foot bridge over the outer lock At the
south end the causeway viii be paved
with stone The drawbridge will be mod
ern in every respect, and will contain a
very powerful set of machinery
This bridge is TO be used only for high
way traffic, the Baltimore and Potomac
Railroad Company being required to re-
place the Long Bridge with a steel rail-
road bridge within four years The high
way bridge viii be open for the use Of
al street railroad companies chartered By
Congress. The Washington, Alexandria
and Mount Vernon Railroad Company is
required TO cease operating on the Long
Bridge and 10 lay its 1Eacks on the new
structure No overhead sfdes viii be per
mitted and an underground electric sys-
TEN must be laid. EacF street raiIvr =
company using the bridge yziH be required
to pay IN taxes one-baIf Ct per cent for
each passenger carried across the bridge
The costof the new structure viii be Ii-
vided between the District Of Columbia
and the United States Government-each
to pay one-half Of the SUM Of s5se. 900
The wagon travel from the south will
not be Inconvenience by the change in
the bridges. as the approach TO the new
structure, being only Goo feet above the
Long Bridge, viii not materially increase
the distance Travelled by teams. The dis
tance between the new bridge and the
long Bridge VIII enable the authorities
20 break up the ice between the two
structures and to prevent any jam.
The Engineer Board is at present test
ing the bottom of q route 800 feet above
the Long Bridge and as soon as the .ex-
act distance can be learned, wherein there
is a safe foundation, the report viii be
submitted to Secretary Root. The work
on the structure viii begin as soea as Sec
retary Root formally adopts the report
and accepts the plans