The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-07
] AWAY WITH
GRADE CROSSINGS
PLAN FOR ELEVATION OF MIL.
WAUKEE TRACKS SUBMITTED.
Work Is One Of Great Magnitude and
Cost Will Be Enormous subway to
] Replace Crossing at Sixth Avenue
s-Washington Avenue viaduct to
Be Raised.

Preliminary plans for the elevation
of the Milwaukee tracks from Third
avenue s to .Southtown Junction were
submitted yesterday to the council com
mittee on grade crossings by City En-. :.
gineer Andrew Rinker. The right OF
way is about 5000 feet long, with an
average width Of sixty-fye feet. Fully
across streets, necessitating about
twenty bridges or viaducts. Mr.. hin
ker figures that the tracks can be
raised nine feet, which will mean a
cut in the streets at the lowest point
Of five or six feet.
While only a small part of the Nil.
waukee lines in this city are included
in the plan, the work is one Of great
ma gnitude. The fill alone will require
! 2,632.5OO cubic yards of earth. The
! cost, with the immense amount OF
work, the many bridges and the dam
age to adjacent property, will pc enor
| NOUS: but the. plan is a feasible one
and sooner or later the separation OF
grade crossings must come In Mime
apolis, as it has elsewhere In the large
cities of the country.
r.. Sixth Avenue Subway.
Beginning at the Milwaukee passen
| ger station, the yards will be raiset
21a feet above their present elevation
The first crossing is at Sixth avenue
s, one Of the worst in the city, Where
an entire block is filled with tracks
| 1t is proposed to make subway under
the tracks at this point. The approach
es to the subway will be from the
north and south on Washington avenue
To make this possible, that portion o Q;
Washington avenue between the rail
way tracks and the Milwaukee right
of way, with width of thirty feet
will be depressed about nine feet, IT'S
i ing to Fifth and Seventh avenues
There will be no entrance to the sub
way from Sixth avenue, as It IS flgure'
that Washington avenue will give al
ample outlet from the milling, district
which for years has been badly handi
capped by the Sixth avenue crossing
The gates are closed nearly all tn
time on account of passing trains, ne
cessitating long and tedious waits TO
i teams. 49, --E
, The present bridge or, viaduct a
, Washington avenue will be raised sever
or eight feet and will permit niue
easier grade on Washington avenue be
| tween Seventh and Tenth avenues )
The two hills are quite steep and team
sters avoid them as much as possible
At Third street and Tenth avenue
1 the CTaChS WILL Do 0lcNdICu aOoue ~
feet, and from there on to Southtow
Junction about nine feet.
It is the intention of Mr.. Rinker t
continue the work on the milwaukee
plans to include the Short-line track
to the Mississippi river, the Iowa
= Minnesota division to Minnehaha an
! the Hastings & Dakota tracks fro1
j.. Southtown Junction to Lake Calhoun
The. aldermen are much pleased wit
the. plans as far as they 60. The
have not been submitted to the Mi
waukee railway officials as yet, and
). may be taken for granted that thel
will be strong opposition from ON, :, n u
: industries along the Milwaukee rigi
e Of way, which will be placed to COZ
r siderable expense in order to confor
their plants to the change Of grade.