The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-14
BIRMINGHAM WILL
PAVE ITS STREETS
Over 100000 in Improve
ments Contracted For
PROPOSED ORDINANCES
Report of the city Engineer to City
Council Makes Good Showing
for 6rmneham-some
of the Figures.
PROPOSED ORDINANCES

The fact that the city of Birmingham
has recently contracted for bituminous
macadam, vitrihed brick and creosoted
wooden block pavements to the amount
of $4,000 is a cheering indication that
many of the streets and avenues of the
city are to be improved during the pres
ent year.
All of this work has been let and ac-
tual operations have begun in a majority
of instances. Contractors had forces at
work on Fifth avenue, Twentieth and
Ninteenth streets preparing for bitumi-
nous macadam pavements, and on Eigh-
tenth street preparing for vitrifed brick
pavement for the past ten days or two
weeks.
At the city hall 1t is said that the
United States Wood Preserving company
contract for paving Highland avenue
from Twentieth street to the Woodward
property with creosoted wooden blocks
next week The Nashville Roofing and
Paving company is setting up its plant
rapidly and will soon be ready to start
laying bituminous macadam from the
Woodward property on Highland avenue
to the eastern limits of the city.
The following figures from the annual
report of City Engineer Julian Kendricll
to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen
give the amount of street work under con-
tract at this time:
Grading and matchmaking. 5,424.S5
Z.DI
Side walk paving. 9,l6z w
Concrete gutter paving. ........... 2ll4.fO
Vitrified brick paving. ............. 45,OO0.OO
Bituminous macadam paving. =. Ia, 0OO.O
Creosoted wooden block paving. 1900 90
Total ....................... 1922 PIG 20
An ordinance has already been adopt
ed and the contract let for paving Nine
tenth street from Fourth to Fifth ave-
nues with bituminous mncadam. At the
regular semi-monthly meeting of the
city Council tomorrow night the city
engineer under instructions from the City
Council will precent an ordinance pro-
vidinr for an extension of the bitum-
nous macadam pavement along Nine
tenth street to Sixth avenue-one block.
The annual report of the city engineer
shows that a total of 54.9S miles of ma
cadamized streets and avenues have
been constructed IN Blfmlngndti iheSe
improvements alone cost $304'4lS.07.
There has been laid in Birmingham
prior to the year 1904. the following pave
ment:
Granite blocks, yards, 61O251; vitrified
brick on five inch concrete foundations
Sc, sS1. "a; total square yards laid prior to
1904, 116 907 .04; total mileage S.51; total
cost $2520O5 81.
The figures for 1904 follow:
Square yards of granite block laid,
none; square yards of vitriaed brick
pavement laid on five inch concrete foun-
dation. 15,175.3 80; bituminous macadam
pavement laid, 80, 923.65 square yards: to-
tai yards, laid during year. 46,099.0 o.; total
mileage of pavement laid 1 30; total cost
of pavement laid during the year, $3.50,
O10.22.
These figures give a total of 4ss miles
OF paved streets laid in Birmingham, at
a total cost of 342016.13
In this connection 1t is of interest to
note that a total of fifty-eight miles of
sanitary sewers have been laid In Biz
mingham, at a total cost Of s199,252. So.