The Washington times., 1902-06-25
Report From Engineer
Commissioners Office
to the House.
ADVANTAGES OF C STREET
Large Decrease in Cost of Changes and
Damages to Private Property-Nearer
Pennsylvania Avenue and Capitol
Constructive Superiority.

Acting Engineer Commissioner New
conner a statement of the relative merits
of the two proposed sites for the union
station. the one on Massachusetts Ave-
nue., and the ether on C Street.
Capt. Newcomer calls attention to the
advantages and disadvantages of both
locations, and also makes an estimate OF
the cost of grading, repaving and OF
changes required if there is to be plaza.
He saws:
1.-The location on Massachusetts, Ave-
nue. necessarily involves heavy fills, with
resulting damages to private property,
around the front of the terminal sta
ton, as we'll as changes of grade at all
streets passing under the viaduct. The
estimated cost of grading and repavfng
the streets affected amounts to about
$500 ,O0O, of which about 100000 would
be required at Il Street and to the nctth-
ward thereof. and about 100000 for the
streets leading to the front of the sta
ton. The damage to private prop
erty resulting from these changes
of grade are roughly estimated at
about 100000.
THE estimated cost of necessary land
to form the proposed plaza and addi-
tionaI streets leading thereto has been
reported as about 100000. but later re-
vised estimates make this about S573, 600.
II the plaza is omitted the cost OF the
changes required is estimated at about
s1.000.000.
Nature of Sites.
s.rho ,oooesi+y for tboco cJ,arvec nf
grade arises from the nature of the site.
The high ground beyond Florida Ave-
nue., over which the railroads must pass,
prevents lowering their grade sufficiently
within the city to allow the streets 10
be carried over them, unless the straets
are raised to a very Objectionable ex-
tent On the other hand, to bring the
railroads over the streets without un-
duly depressing the latter, the railroads
must be placed on viaduct, which must
terminate in hill, either natural or ar
tificial. under which the southern TRACKS
can enter the station.
''These tracks are twenty feet lower
than the others at the line of humping
blocks in the proposed station, and climb
steadily from this point until they reach
the same level at X Street. They are
still about ten feet lower at II Street
At this point, therefore, the grade of the
street must be fixed with reference TO
the lower tracks If the street is carried
under. and with reference to the upper
If it is carried over. The difference
of grade between street and railroad
must be at least seventeen feet when the
street is carried under, or twenty feet
when over. to provide the necessary head
room for vehicles or cars in the two
cases. respectively.
AT H Street, therefore, the street
grade must be either seventeen feet be-
low the southern tracks or thirty feet
above them in order to clear the other
tracks. To change the street from un-
derneath to overhead would. therefore
raise it at least forty-seven feet, the
tracks remaining fixed. The streets from
H to Florida Avenue have already been
lowered in the proposed plan as much as
is admissible. and TO improve their sit
uation the railroad tracks should be
raised. but, on the other hand. this
would increase the fills and resulting
expense at the plaza.
Would Injure Streets.
ITO lower the plaza as far as maxi
mum railroad gradients would permit
and carry the streets overhead would
hurt these streets more than would be
Offset by the gain at the plaza. It is
believed that in the proposed plan the
mutually incompatible interests of the
plaza and the streets to the northward
are compromised in the most satisfacto-
~ manner possible for this site.
Turning to the c Street site, ii is
found 20 be almost ideally adapted to a
satisfactory solution of the question OF
grades. Here the terminal station would
end in a natural HILL requiring compare
lively slight, If any, changes of grade in
its front. The elevation of the tracks
al the humping blocks would be higher
than at the other site. thus permitting
them TO be carried northward IN such
manner as to pass all streets under
them without any changes. except minor
ones possibly at NJ Street and Florida
Avenue. whose cost is estimated not
TO exceed $4,000.
I'VE have here a natural Topographic
cal situation that must be artifcially
created at the other site al an expense
OF about 81 900 900. omitting for the
present the plaza feature. which is moi
involved in the question of grades, but
is an entirely distinct proposition. TO be
judged wholly on its own merits.
c Street Grade.
ut should be noted. however, that
c Street is about twenty feet lower al
North Capitol Street than it is ct First
Street east. and. while no change Of
grade along C Street was proposed il
connection with the comparatively small
station building of the Baltimore ant
Ohio Railroad. planned under the Law
of February Il. 1901. and. while 1t Is
practicable and possibly preferable tt
avoid such change Il the union station
IS located here. yet it may be found ad,
visable TO change the grade OF c ant
its intersectinS streets in order to bet
ter Accommodate the much larger build
ing planned for the union station. Tit
expense of this chenTc, II made, woulc
rot exceed a5out $4,000.
I'm view Of the increased length and
height of the viaduct for the C Stree
site II is probable that the total cost u
the railroad would not be reduced on ac.
count OF better natural foundations fol-
the station building.
While Il is shown above that The
Massachusetts Avenue site Involves ;
very considerable expenditure that woul,
almost wholly be avoided at the c Stree
cite, It should be noted that the 10
cation now chosen viii doubtless be
permanent one and In a question o
such great importance, affecting gen
eraticns to come. the matter OF ex