Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-09
B. and Q. Bridge to Span
New York Avenue.
AN ATTRACTIVE DESIGN
AN IMPORTANT STRUCTURE IN
THE TERMINAL PROJECT.
Will Be 500 Feet Long, With Road
way Of Fifty Feet and
Sidewalk.

The plans for the proposed bridge to be
built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company to carry New York avenue over
the yards and tracks of the Union Rail-
road Terminal Company were today APP
proved by Col John Biddle District En-
gineer Commissioner. This proposed new
bridge was designed by Mr.. ]. e. Greiner.
engineer of bridges for the Baltimore ana
Ohio Railroad Company, and Mr.. w. D.
Douglass, engineer of bridges for the
District of Columbia, under direction OF
Col. Biddle, Capt. Morrow, assistant TO
the Engineer Commissioner, and Mr.. u. y.
Carothers. chief engineer OF the Baltl-
more and Ohio company.
The New York avenue bridge, it Is stated,
will be perhaps the most attractive ana IN.
portant bridge on the terminal WORK. ana IL
| is stated that the structure proposed TO pc
built on the line of New York avenue Is the
first bridge of it's particular type that mas
ever been designed or proposed III thiS
The New York avenue bridge will be 600
feet long, with roadway nfty 1eet IN
width and a sidewalk twelve feet Wlde on
either side of the roadway. 1t will be pui di
! throughout of steel girders resting on steel
columns, with the exception VI .no
U-shaped abutments, which Will be OF Or or,
namental concrete. All the steel work VIII
be encased in concrete in order 10 protecs
the steel from corrosion due to the ACID
gases from the locomotives ana from inc
effects Of the weather, and also IN oruer ~
obtain a structure pleasing In appearance.
The bridge will have the appearance Oh
masonry structure
Thirtv-One Feet Above Railroad.
The floor Of the bridge will be ABOUT
| thirty-one feet above the railroad tracAs'
The bridge will be provided with Manu-
some concrete parapets, and a simple IRON
l. 80
| monize with the general design. The
structure will be lighted by sixteen lamps
placed on wrought iron posts, erected In
| the line of the curb. instead OF IN the me
| of the railing as is usually the case IN
bridge construction. The posts VIII De
| placed about ninety feet apart Inc road
| way of the structure will be paved with
| asphalt blocks, and the sidewalks will be
of cement The total cost of the bridge
will be about $4,000.
Differs From Other Bridges.
| The points wherein the proposed New
| York avenue bridge will differ from other
steele-concrete bridges which have been
erected in the United States are given as
| follows: In the case of the ordinary bridge
| built of steel encased in concrete, both the
| steel and concrete serve as support for the
| superstructure. The concrete IN the pro
| posed New York avenue bridge Will not
| serve at all 1Or supporting Tic Weight VI
| the structure The whole bridge has been
| so designed that the steel will support the
| weight of the bridge and the concrete Will
| be merely for protection of the steel and
| for ornamentatfon. The New York avenue
| bridge will also be constructed on very
| heavy and variable obliquity, ranging from
45 degrees to 81 degrees from the normal.
One of the difficulties encountered In the
| construction of a bridge of the type of the
proposed New York avenue structure is to
| secure the proper expansion and contrac-
| ton between the separate parts or sections
| Of the bridge, on account of the changes of
| temperature. This difficulty has been over
come according to the plans for the New
| York avenue bridge by placing jacketed
| concrete girders upon nests of rollers in the
| steel columns, so that each ninety-foot
| span, for instance, acts as a separate part,
| and the weight on any particular ninety
| foot span will not affect the other spans,
| in so far as the expansion is concerned.
The structure might be termed in common
parlance "ball-bearing" bridge
Largely Concrete Work.
The rollers are the only parts of the
| bridge, excepting the hand rail and lamp
| posts, which are not encased in concrete.
| The rollers are protected from smoke and
| weather by ornamental cast iron so con-
structed that it may be removed from time
| to time in order that the rollers may be
| cleaned.
3 Several months ago there were rumors
Faf1oat that the railroad company intended
| to ask Congress to defer the building of
! the New York avenue bridge until the ave-
| nue. east of the terminal lines could be
| opened up or until such time as the Com
| missioners decided the bridge Is necessary.
| From present indications it seems that this
| reported proposition has been abandoned
| and that when the remainder Of the ter
| minal project is completed the New York
| avenue bridge will also be completed.
| When New York avenue Is opened east OF
| ira1 II is halipvad ha
| avenue will be the principal thoroughfare
| for traffic from the northeast to the north
| west part of the city, and the New York
| avenue bridge will then be greatly used.
The grades of the avenue. it is stated will
| be advantageous to greatly increased traf-
| fee when the avenue is opened.