Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-07-21
CONCRETE BRIDGES
BEING PUT IN
Grants Pass Doing Away With
Wooden Bridges = Much
Street Work Done.

Street COMMISSIONER r. II. Gil |
fllan completed this week the work
of replacing the wooden bridge across
Gilbert creek, on A street. with a
cement arch. This arch is i2 feet
wide and 10 feet high and has wings
extending back into the creek bank
both from the upper and the lower
ends of the structure. The founda-
tions rest on the bedrock and the arch
is so large and we'll built that it will
afford ample passage for the waters
of the biggest flood aud it will last
as long as time shall be. Owing to
the great depth of the creek at that
point the top of the arch is six feet
below the surface of the street and
this space has been filed with earth,
which was taken from the summit Of
the hill above the creek. The ro-
moval of this earth has greatly i'm
proved the grade of A street west
OF It lIsV sICttt.
Ths new bridge is IS feet wide and
the end walls are carried up to the
surface of the street and guard rails
are provided to keep teams from going
over the grade. These rails are sup
ported by iron posts that were placed
in the concrete wall as it was being
constructed. The cost Of the con-
crete arch and the wings for protect
ing the banks was 1929, and to com.
plete the fill and the grading on the
street brought the total cost of the
work to $500. While the first cost Of
this concrete bridge is larger than
that of wooden structure. yet it is
cheaper in the end fol there will
never be the continued expense fol-
repairs and rebuilding that there is
to a wooden bridge. 1t is an eoonom-
ical undertaking on the part of the
city in putting in these concrete
bridges and culverts for it will really
be saving to the taxpayers. 1t
wonld be equally wise ON the part of
tile county If. on such roads as are
really permanent, all small bridges
were built of concrete or stone.
The wooden structures are constant
cost for repairs and have to be re.
built at least every 10 to 10 years.
Street Commissioner Gil6llan has
done this summer more street i'm
provement than was ever done in any
one previous year for he has graded
and drained more than mile of
streets, and an equal distance of roads
that are in the city limits. There has
also been put down more than mile
of granite side walks Many cross
walks have been put in and tilihg
drains at crosswalk and street cross
ings. With the large amount of I'M
provement that has been done to the
streets in the residence districts it
will be but few years until Grants
Pass will have system of streets
that will equal that Of any town in
Oregon.
There is one change in the method
of street improvement that could be
made to the decided betterment of the
streets and that is to discontinue
dumping unscreened gravel on the
streets The gravel used is largely
made up of boulders of all sizes, and
these become decided nuisance for
they roll about the surface to be
bumped over by every vehicle and
for horses to stumble on, and to be
the special provocative to violent
language on the part Of OF bicyclists
and automobilists. Many Of the
streets would be smooth, handsome
driyeways were it not for these
boulders that disfgure the streets
and disturb the comfort of persons
driving over them. All gravel should
be screened before being placed on
streets and roads and it would be a
move in the right direction for the
city and county to Jointly purchase a
gravel screen, for one machine would
screen all the gravel that would be re-
quired on the streets Of Grants Pass
and the roads of Josephine county.