The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-11

With SO many important improve
ments in sight, it seems likely that the
city council will act favorabiy upon the
plan to build a new steel bridge across
! the Shunganunga at Eighth avenue, in
stead of trying to repair the old one.
This matter will come before the city
council Monday evening.
The county commissioners are in
favor of good roads and of building all
the macadam roadways in the county
that can be completed each year with
the funds available. If the brick pave
ment is laid on East Eighth street to
the city limits the commissioners will
lay a mile or two miles of macadam
road from the end of the pavement east
along the country road
The commissioners now have about
$4,000 in the permanent road fund, and
this years levy of one-half mill VIII
raise about SIS, 500 more. Out of that
the West Sixth avenue macadam Will
be finished, the WaShburn road Will be
repaired and the Rochester cemetery
macadam will be completed by the lay
ing of 40 rods of macadam. When that
is done the remainder will be used for
new roads,
Macadam road costs about $4,000 a
mile and the commissioners expect to
be able to build about two miles this
year. On all the other macadam roadS
that have been made the county has
received financial assistance from the
property owners benefited directly, and
the commissioners nave Deen 1nIOFfleu
that if the Eighth street road is built
the property owners will raise SOME
money to help in the work There is
stone fence along the Eighth street
road which will be donated if the road
is built and it will be crushed and used
in the macadam. This will be a ma
teriaI help as the stone is where it is
needed and will not have to be hauled
any distance
Commissioner Sterne said this morn
,;e-c,i ocf
not levy the half mill tax for the per-
manent road fund. as the commission
ers wished to reduce the county levy
on account of the flood, but I think
that this year the commissioners will
favor the road fund and make re-
duction elsewhere If any reduction in
the tax levy has to be made. The COM
missioners believe that nothing can be
done of any greater benefit than the
building of good macadam roads. We
hope to begin the work of macadamiz-
ing the Eighth avenue road. the Bur
lingame road and the river road
through Oakland this year and next,
and then to continue the macadam
/ each year"
Mayor Bergundthal said today: I
| find that great many Topeka busi-
ness men are willing to contribute
money to help build the East Eigth aV-
enue pavement This will remove the
chief objection, if sufficient contribu-
tion can be secured One business man
told me that he would give 800 toward
the improvement. If some of the East
4 Eighth people who are interested in
this thing can secure contributions, the
city may be able to lay the pavement
without such heavy expense. We have
been OVERRIDING the paving business.
| and it is time to let uD, but realize
| the Importance of a good road to the
| Topeka cemetery. People here in To-
peka who have relatives buried there,
| undertak kers who have to use the road
frequently, and liverymen, are all much
interested in the construction of the
| road I don't believe that it would be
| a good plan to oppose the construction
| of the pavement when so many people
favor it and are willing to put up mon
ey for it,