The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1903-04-29
PLANK ROAD
REPAIRS
Essex and Hudson Commit
tees Discuss the Improve
ment' Of the Newark
Highway.
WORK TO BE PUSHED
Provision Made for Every
thing Necessary to Insure-
a Fine Road.

The proposed improvement of the
Newark Plank road was discussed at a
conference of the Essex Free Bridge
Committee and Hudson Road Commit
tee at the oCurt oHuse, in this city.
last night, and while no final agreement
was made it was practically decided that
the work would be done an das speedily
rs possible
Freeholder Ward, of Essex. presided,
and Freeholder Clements, offs Hudson,
acted as secretary. There was some
little complication over the fact that
while in Essex the bridge committee
controls the road, in this county the
road is responsible for its care.
The Essex Freeholders We're at first
favorable to replanking the road for an
other year and during that interim en-
deavor to obtain sufficient strip to
make the road of a width of eighty
feet.
Freeho1ders Ward and Hoerl, of Es-
sex, expressed themselves as strongly
opposed to macadamizing the present
. feet of road between the trolley
tracks. The latter declared that such
road would be worse than the present
one and more expensive to keep in re-
pair.
communication from State Road
Commissioner Budd, read by Engineer
Owens, of Essex, stated that the best
plan for the improvement of the road,
owing TO its soft foundation, was to lay
a pavement of telford or concrete ma
cadam. This the Commissioner said
coul deasily be kept in repair. He did
not say that the department of which
he IS head fould not consent to the road
beag paved With blocks but stated that
the State would only pay one-third of
what macadam read would cost.
There wa sa difference of opinion be-
tween Engineer Owen, of Essex, and ].
W. Leahy, of Hudson, as to whether
a sufficient foundation existed for block
pavement. The former did not think so.
The Hudson Freeholders generally
expressed themselys as opposd to any
plan looking towards an so foot road,
and Engineer Owens suggested go foot
road with a place for heavy trucking in
the centre separated from roadways for
light driving on either side by the troll
ley tracks.
Engineer Leahy presented a plan
which seemed TO meet with the approval
of the representatives of both parties,
except as to the block pavement. 1t pro-
vided for a roadway 40 feet in width on
6-inch concrete base, with curb of
concrete 3 feet deep and IA inches thick
The trolley tracks to be laid in concrete
on either side of the roadway The same
to be paved with inch blocks on bed
of sand / inch in thickness.
The question of the advisability of
spending any more money repairing the
present plank road was discussed at
length. The Hudson Freeholders were
opposed to this. It was pointed out that
it would cost $4,000 to re-plank the
road per one years use, and that the
telford macadam improvement, according
to Engineer Owens estimate would only
cost 100000.
Counyt Counsel John Griffin, of Hud-
son, called attention to the fact that there
was no legislative authority to widen the
road, and advised that nothing be done
this year except to build the bridge over
the Hackensack.
Superintendent Wisconsin jackson,
who is in charge of tile road, suggested
that If it was the Intention to widen it.,
it would be well to re-plank the road be-
cause time would have to be allowed for
the new portion to settle before it could
be improved.
Engineer Leahy stated that he had
been informed that if the road was i'm
proved with a block pavement the owners
Of the abutting land would agree to give
70 the County the strip Of land necessary
for the widening.
Freeholder Howl, of Essex, to bring
the discussion to a climax, offered reso-
luton that the road be re-planked for
year and in the interim the property
necessary for the widening be obtained
Freeholder Pairson, Of Hudson. stated
s,crdfis IL d had thing Is inherit ar ao1,,fra