The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-04
ADMIT ASPHALT
IS A DISGRACE.
CITY AUTHORITIES UP AGAINST
A HARD PROBLEM.

Patching Seems to Do Little Good, Re-
surfacing with Asphalt Meets VIC
lent Opposition, While Engineering
Difficulties Stand in the way Of
other Materials.
ton for asphalt evinced BY tie city
council which ordered that material for
the business district in the middle
nineties, the present city council and
street department have literally been
put in the hole.
Some 100000 square yards of as
phalted streets are already useless, or
This means about all tie asphalt In the
city except Park avenue, which was
resurfaced two years ago. Fifth street
is disreputable, but Nicollet avenue, as
the thorofare most used, gives the great
est offense and is deteriorating most
rapidly. It is picturesquely pitted. with
yawning cavities which render it al
most impossible for business traffic and
absolutely impossible for pleasure driv
ing of any sort. Nv
And it was supposed to have been
patched thoroly so recently as last Julyl
The civic authorities find themselves
confronted with a puzzling problem.
It is not only question of means, but
also of material. They admit that they
are up against stone wall and don t
time they realize that something must
be done Immediately.
Fault in the Material.
The cost of the July patching was
about $4,000. The authorities insist
that the fault lies in the asphalt, which
deteriorates so rapidly that the streets
cannot be kept in frst-class condition
except at an enormous outlay. If every
depression and hole in the streets were
repaired today, it would not be ten
DAYS before new ones would be form
| ing and in three weeks these would be
worn thru to the concrete: 80
Tt has been contended that the as
phalt streets should have been repaved
some time ago, but with the city spend
ing from $4,000 to $4,000 out of the
Improvement fund, the property own
ers along Nicollet and Hennepin ave,
nues and the other asphalt streets have
not been clamoring. for chance to be
assessed for repaaving; Still the city
| ing very soon. How soon is one of the
| big questions of the problem.
Leaving out the portion of the streets
which the street railway company must
pave, there remain about 10000
square yards to be cared for by the
city thru special assessments against
the abutting property, the permanent
Improvement fund caring for the city :
portion. At $1.40 a square yard, which
/ was the cost Of repaving Park avenue
it will take about $4,000 for the en-
Tn ~
facing the asphalt streets with asphal
will take the entire paving fund TO-
, one year. Aldermen from other ward
than the fourth and fifth will not b.
likely to consider such proposal TO
moment. - =. IT,
Negotiations for Relaying.
| It has been suggested that a dea
similar to the one which resulted i
repaving Park avenue might be al
ranged. In that case the contracto
not only gave a ten-year guaranty, bu
agreed to accept the compensation TO
the work in five annual installment:
or as the assessments were collected
The property owners pay, u cents !
, square yard a yeag fors ma1 ma, =
: year period it is to be left in frs
class condition. ~ . An.}
, If such deal could be arrange
: for the remaining asphalt streets of tn
: city, it would probably meet with gel
= eral approval. Negotiations for sue
q an arrangement have been opened.
But there is much graver profile:
t than the question. of supplying mea1
S for asphalt repaving; Does the CIT
, payers are unalterably opposed to
- ho
s gested as substitute. However, Sc
d eral engineering problems interpose,
a this point. Asphalt paving is tv
q inches thick. The wooden paving
: four inches thick. Add to this o.
inch for the sand course underneat
and the present eight-inch curb becom
practically no curb at all. A curb b
been considered essential for all eli
r streets and the engineers advise tn
n it be retained. -
Tracks Complicate Problem.
a Still, if three-inch curb is deem
y sufficient, what can be done with t
street railway tracks, which have
n Gently been relaid in concrete a
lie welded at the Joints at an enormo
N expense? The adoption of wood wor
, compel the tracks to be raised TN
x inches all over the downtown distric
d, To reduce the blocks to thickness
r, three inches might help somewhat, +
ID it is understood that conservative I
r gineers do not like three-inch bloc
A suggestion that the. concrete base
~ cut down at the street railway trac
III so as to admit the regulation bloc
r. does not meet with approval on
~ count Of the danger Of breaking
" " concrete. A new concrete, base is {
30 of the question on account of expen
Ill The opponents of asphalt insist, he
ever, that there must be some pr
teal and economical solution of
question aside from binding the c
to asphalt for another long period.
'es In connection with the discussion
the merits of asphalt and the ar
- ment that it has grown in disfavor
20 20 over the country, it should be poin
w o@' out that New York this year awar.
Gu asphalt contracts exceeding $S00,C
,no On the other hand, the Warrens
,ou the once well-known Warren-Sch
10, ,ed company, after a generation Of exp
W. ence with asphalt, have abandoned
Il. NOTICES ARE OUT