Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-16
THE SURFACE WORK
ANNUAL REPORT OF ENGINEER
OF HIGHWAYS. -
Recommends to Commissioners q
Change in the Assessment Sys-
tem-Road Repairs.

The annual report of Mr.. C. B. Hunt
District engineer of highways, was given
out late this afternoon by Captain New
conner. acting engineer commissioner. The
report states that the total amount OF the
fund appropriated by Congress and deposit
ed by corporations and others for disburse-
ment by the surface division during the
fiscal year aggregated about S95o.0co, of
which about S250,00O was for paving alleys
and sidewalks throughout the District of
Columbia, 100000 for paving new streets
and repairing and repaving old ones within
the city limits. about $40 900 for construc-
ton and repair of suburban streets and
county roads, about $4,000 for the MAIN
tenance and construction OF bridges
throughout the District. while approximate
ly 100000 was spent IN repairing pave
ments disturbed by excavations on account
of various corporations. plumbers and other
branches of the District government.
The roadways of Is street northwest be-
tween 18th and Virginia avenue and of Vir-
GINA avenue northwest between and L
streets were nacadamized; extensive
pairs were made to the asphalt block road
way of Maryland avenue northeast, east of
9th street the roadway of nth street north
west between b and street macada-
mixed in part, the work to be completed
during the current fiscal year; the intersec-
ton of 18th street X street and Georgia
avenue southeast was brought to the estab-
lished grade. and the intersecting streets
and alleys were regulated
Repairs to Roads.
The principal items of work under the
appropriation for repairs to roads
The west roadway of Brightwood avenue
was macademized from Trenton street to
Wallach street, and the east roadway from
hn OH a
was similarly treated. The Bunker Hill
road was macadamiZed between the Sar-
gent and the Queens Chapel roads. Wis
conSin avenue was macadamiZed from Gal
weston street to the Nourse place Ponce
roy street was macadamized from 4th
street to Moore's lane. Ingrah ham place was
macadamized from Brightwood avenue to
Colorado avenue.
| lated and improved between the Military
road and the Broad Branch road. Por-
tons of Blagden avenue, near 10th
street. were macadamized Twenty
fourth street northeast macad-
amiZed between Detroit and Cincinnati
streets. and Cincinnati street SINH
larly treated between 22d and Path
streets kenesaw avenue was macad-
amtzed between 14th and Mount Pleasant
streets. Sherman avenue was macad-
mized between Irving and Harvard
streets. Carroll avenue macad-
amized between the Blair road and the
District line, and portions of the Ben
ming road were macada mixed.
A notable item of paving work executed
during the year was the widening and paw
ing of Columbia road from 18th to 18th
street. at total cost of 100000, in con-
necton with which work the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company extended its
tracks by the underground system. with
electric propulsion from 18th to 18th. and
| thence out Mount Pleasant street to Park
street.
Under special provision by appropriation
18th street extended graded and
macadamiZed from Florida avenue to Whit
ney avenue. and New Hampshire avenue
from Whitney avenue to Brightwood ave-
nue. was similarly treated.
Permit and Assessment Work.
In regard to permit and assessment work.
| which directly concerns the taxpayers, Mr..
Hunt says:
Collection account of assessments for
special improvements, such as alleys and
sidewalks, are repaid and credited to the
appropriation for assessment and permit
| work for the fiscal year in which the col
| lection is made The repayments on this
account. as well as account of general
taxes, are customariy relatively heavy
toward the end of the fiscal year, espe-
Cially in May, and it is constant occur
renee that after the expiration of a fiscal
| year this office is confronted with the eX-
| iStence of a large uneXpended balance OF
the appropriation due to these repayments
which could not be guarded against by
more active construction operations before
the amount of the repayments were known.
| LAS a result of this the contracts under
| which the appropriate is expended are
| never completed until late in the fall. and
| the contract for the past fiscal year for lay
| ing sidewalks viii probably not be complet-
| ed for eight nine months after the expi-
| ration of the fiscal year. These conditions
| under the present arrangement of the re-
payments practically unavoidable. The
remedy is simple one; involves no increase
| in expenditures; appears to possess advan-
| tages from whatever point of view 1t Is re-
| garded. and consists in crediting the collec-
| tons for these special improvements in
| equal parts to the revenues of the District
| of Columbia and the United States and in
| creasing the appropriation for assessment
| and permit work by the average total Of
| these collections.
| With this provision the amount of the
| appropria ton would be definitely known at
| the beginning of the year and arrange
| mentS for its expenditure practically within
| the fiscal year could be made. l recommend
| that this be presented to Congress in the
| estimates for the ensuing fiscal year, and
| that the change be urged as of great
| practical advantage.