Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-11-22
GAL|STEO STREET
BRIDGE PLANS
Walter Sharp Com
pany Submits
Two Sets.
ADVERTISE FOR BIDS
In Near Future. MIR. Sharp
Sees Many Changes and
improvements Here.

In compliance with a request of the
County Commissioners, Walter Sharp
of Eldorado, Kansas, president and
general manager of the Walter Sharp
Bridge Company, prepared plans and
specifications today for the new
bridge to be built across the river on
Galisteo Street, which he submitted to
Chairman Arthur Seligman. Mr..
Sharp was the contractor who erected
the bridges spanning the stream on
Don Gaspar Avenue and College
Street. These two structures are
double arched affairs of stone, while
it is proposed to have the new one
constructed of reinforced concrete.
81 shall draw two sets of plans to-
gether with the measurements and re-.
quirements for this new bridge and
the County Commissioners can choose
between the two designs he stated
last evening in an interview with a
reporter of the New Mexican. "Ill
have to hurry up with the work as I
want to leave tomorrow night so as
to be home in time for Thanksgiving.
| had intended going away tonight
but the members of the board pre-
vailed upon me to remain another day.
They wanted me to fix my plans and
specifications at once so that they
could advertise for bids Immediately.
or course propose to bid on the job
its open to any one who wants to
tackle 1t
Has Erected Hundreds Of Bridges.
Mr.. Sharp has been in the bridge
building business for the past twenty
years ana is therefore entitled to ad.
mission in the expert class. During
that time he has built hundreds of
bridges in Kansas, Colorado and New
Mexico. He has ten in course of con.
struction at the present time, seven
in Kansas and three in Colorado. All
nre being erected of concrete. which
is fast displacng wood and stone and
even steel as material for building
bridges. His greatest achievement in
bridge construction is the one now be-
ing put up across the Rio Grande at
Alamosa. This bridge will have
twelve spans, each of which will be
forty-twO feet long, making a total
length of 504 feet. Thirteen piers
will be required and the entire bridge
will be of reinforced concrete. This
particular bridge is being built ac.
cording to original ideas of Mr.. Sharp.
Concrete beams reinforced by steel
girders are being placed from one pier
to another and they will obviate the
usual half circle arch. Mr.. Sharp
feels confident that bridges made in
this way are not only more substantial
than the other style but they can also
be built at less expense. Each con.
crete beam is reinforced by four one
inch steel rods or girders, and these
beams are placed lengthwise at inter.
walls of about two feet apart. The
bride flooring will also be of concrete
about six inches thick over the beams,
and the platform will be strengthened
by expanded metal or sheets of steel
imbedded in the concrete.
Work Well Under Way on Bridge at
AIamosa.
"Work is now well advanced on this
new bridge at Alamosa," said Mr..
Sharp. ut is to cost $4,000 toward
which sum the state of Colorado ap-
proprated about $1,000 and the bal.
ance was raised by the counties of
Conejos and Costilla. When complet-
ed 1t will be one of the most substan.
tial wagon bridges in the west. The
work so far done was inspected re.
Gently by Governor Mcdonald and
State Engineer Jaycox who made a
trip to Alamosa and also to Monte
Vista where I AM building another
concrete wagon bridge across the Rio
Grande.
II am thinking seriously Of apply.
ing for patent on the style of bridge
now being built at Alamosa. am sat.
isfled that by following this plan of
using beams the cost of reinforced
concrete bridges will be greatly
cheapened. These kind of bridges
are especially adapted for mountain
streams and low banks. The beam
construction gives third more water
way than the ordinary arched bridge
and 1t is fully as durable at saving
of fully third in the eXnanSe OF