The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-10
All Minneapolis Paving Will Be
Thoroly overhauled Before
G. A. r. Comes.
HISTORIC BUMPS AND
HOLLOWS TO BE FIXED
City Council Will Hold Special
Meeting Next Week to
Arrange Details.

For once in it's history Minneapolis
is to have all it's paved streets in prime
condition at the same time. Not bump
nor break will be noticed in any
piece Of asphalt by any of the thou
sands of visitors who will flock to this
city the coming summer. Veterans who
march in the national G.. A. R. parade
will find the streets as smooth as
ballroom floor and as clean as brushes
and water can make them. This Will
not be the least advantage aceruing
to the city from the big convention Of
After months Of planning, figuring
and comforting, definite plans for the
Improvement of the downtown streets
have been adopted and the council will
ming to ratify them. The matter came
to head at a meeting Of the paving
committee of the Minneapolis Retail
| Dealers association yesterday after
noon, when the members agreed that
the most ,; satisfactory solution Of the
offer Of the Barber Asphalt company
on condition that the price of $3.50 a
4 foot was reduced somewhat.
There Is some understanding on this
point, for the council last night re-
jected the old bid and instructed the
clerk to advertise for new bids to be
/ opened next Friday evening.
g. Work to Be Rushed.
The intention is to expedite the work
in every way. The new specifications
will call for the resurfacing Of all the
asphalt streets in the city instead OF
limiting the improvement to certain
streets. ..5
! There are about $4,000 square yards
Of asphalt streets, OF about seven miles,
aside from Park avenue. In the past
five years these have been in bad shape,
often being so full of holes that drivers
would think they were driving on a
corduroy road. At no time in the his
tory Of the city have all the streets
been in frst-class condition at the same
} time.
With the work planned, it is doubt
full if any other city has been able to
show such uniformly wen-paved streets
as Minneapolis will show for the g.
A. r. encampment. The work will be
completed long before that event, but
1t is to anticipate all chances for delay
that the city council has acted with
such great promptness.
The Ways and Means.
One of the stumbling blocks to the
plan has been the problem OF caring. for
the city's portion. While the asphalt
company was willing to finance the en-
tire Improvement it drew the line on
waiting for any length of time for the
| city's portion Of the cost. Ways and
means for meeting this have been de-
vised. The city holds $4,000 as guar
], anty fund for portions Of the paving.
: Under contract the city can compel
3 the company to place the streets in good
condition, which will cost fully 1000
r if not more. If ell the streets are re-
surfaced the company will be relieved
1 of this expense, and instead Of using the
:, guaranty fund for patching, the city
{ can turn it in on account Of the city s
: portion Of new paving. The remainder
t will have TO be appropriated from
0 the permanent Improvement fund.
e The aldermen are anxious to see
r hedowntown streets credit to the city
: and when the agreement of the retail
s merchants was made known to them,
o they readily adopted 1t as the most sat
:, isfactory solution.
It is planned to have the contract ex-
Q ecuted this month SO that the company
Q will be able to begin work at once,
|, probably early in April. It Is no small
t task to lay $4,000 square yards Of as
J. phalt The local. plant has capacity
d Of about 900 yards a day, but allow
s ance must be made for interference by
y weather, and at least ninety days must
:, be allowed for the entire work.