The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-10
PUT Them up HIGH
Commissioners Plan to Have
Bridges Escape Floods.
will Be Put Foot Above High
Water Mark.
WILL CALL FOR BIDS.
Contractors to Decide About
Use of Old Spans.
County Has Given Up Taking
Them Out of River.

When the county commissioners re-
ceive bids for the rebuilding of the Kan
sas river bridges it is likely that the
specifications will call for the bridges
to be built one foot above the high
water mark made by the flood.
The commissioners have this plan I'M
der consideration and they favor it,
but the opposition may come from the
township boards that will be called upon
to build the inclined approaches.
The four Kansas river bridges built
by the commissioners under the special
act of the legislature allowing the ex-
penditure of $4,000 for bridges across the
Kansas river in Shawnee county, were
built 20 feet above low water mark.
Highwater mark, before the flood. was
II feet above low water mark and the
bridges were expected to have three feet
to spare before the danger mark was
reached. The flood record was q feet
above low water mark and the plan now
is to build the bridges rs feet above low
water mark, which would, according to
the new high water mark, leave foot to
spare.
The additional height can be secured
by building the tubular piers higher ana
by slightly changing the construction
of the iron work of the bridges. In
some cases the bridges can be built
nlRneE WITHOUT IldhlnS lllC dpPAOoNhSo
difficult as the surrounding country is
high but in the case of the Valencia and
the brick plant bridges long inclined ap-
proaches Of dirt would have to be built
TO make the grade to the bridges such
that a team with a heavy load could
climb them. To make the grade OF
these approaches easy to climb
the approaches would have to be
quite long On the other Drluges
there will be little difficulty.
The approaches come under the jurls-
diction of the township boards as the
approaches are considered township
roads. The township would have to
bear the expense of building the long
approaches. The commissioners decided
that the money raised for the building
of the bridges should be used for that
purpose alone and that in case any
money remained after the bridges were
built that it could not be used for build
ing approaches as the commissioners
consider approaches as roads and not
part of the bridge.
The plan of the commissioners to gain
eight feet in the height of the bridges
is to have the tubular piers built five
or six feet higher and to gain two or
three feet by having the lower cords OF
the bridges placed above the eye beams
The lower cords are the long steel rods
which extend below the floor of the
bridge on each side and bind the batter
posts at each end of the spans. These
lower cords are two to three feet lower
imam the nOOIS u Tic III 1OSCo- ~ i'ASNo
ing them above the eye beams two or
three feet could be left free below the
bridge for the passage of water and
drift
Many of the tubular piers are still
standing in the river, and they can be
heightened by having another section
riveted to them and then be filed with
concrete.
I'VE may be able to build the Kansas
river bridges above the new high water
mark made by the flood" said Commits
sioner Haynes this morning. A gain
can be made by having the piers built
higher and possibly in the construction
of the bridges. When the bridges were
built they were placed three feet above
what was then the high water mark.
and we considered that a safe point.
Now we have a new high water record,
and while it may never be reached
again we will be on the safe side by
having the bridges above that point If
/ it is possible to build them that high.
! In some cases it will not be difficult
| to do this. but in some instances very
long grades will be necessary to keer
/ the approaches from being too steep.
! Notice has been given by the commits
/ sioners that in ten days they will ad-
yertise for bids for the rebuilding of the
four Kansas river bridges, located al
Sardou avenue the brick plant, Va
lencia and Rossville. The commission
ers win probably ask for bids for the
rebuilding of the bridges and the speci-
hcations will allow the bidders to use
9 all the material in the old bridges thai
is available. The commissioners have