Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-02
REPORT OF CITY ENGINEER
Document Shows Ninety Miles Of Paved
Streets in Omaha.
OLD WALKS RAPIDLY DISAPPEARING
Work to the Extent of Three Hundred
and Fifty Thousand Dol
lars IL Done Last
Year.

City Engineer Rosewater's report for 1906
shows that ninety of the $50 miles of streets
within the city are now paved, four anu
one-fourth miles being laid last year. OF
the 700 miles of sidewalks space in the
city, 215 miles have been laid with perma-
nent material, while there yet remains
seventy-eight miles of wooden walks. Work
to the extent of nearly $4,000 was per
formed during the year under the direction
of the engineering department. Work al
| ready under contract for 1907 is almost
as much as the whole of last years inn
provements, while the present years public
| improvements will run nearly $l,OOO,OOO, &C
cording to Mr.. ROsewaters estimates.
In the report Mr.. Rosewater makes sug-
gestiOns along the line Of public improve
ments. The report follows:
| The aggregate cost of work done under
the supervision of this department. Elk
amounts to $685., This embraces in
| round figures six and one-half miles OF
| curbing, two miles of asphalt pavement,
| pavement one-twelfth OF mile of ma
eadam pavement three and one-fourth
miles Of sewers, sixteen and two-thirds
miles of brick sidewalks and eleven and
one-half miles of cement walks, making a
summary OF city sidewalks up TO date as
eight-tenths miles OF Ls<ok sidewalks, 6SG
| miles OF cement wallis. twenty miles of
stone walks SI5 miles macadam and cinder
| walks, twenty-eight hundredths OF a milo
OF asphalt walks and twenty-five hun
dredths of a mile of thing, aggregatins
2l4a4 miles of permanent walks There are
still seventy-eight and three-fourths miles
OF wooden walks in the city, making a
total mileage OF sidewalks equal TO 29S1s
miles, WI, which represents an Investment Oh
There was laid in 1906 three and two
.enths miles Of sewers. making the t ,sysl
mines, representing an outlay of $2,l10,O0O
About 1900 was expended in grading
under contract during the last year and
$4,000 In general grading by the street
forces. The total Investment up to date
is H.65O,oO0 for grading in the city, com
About two miles IL asphalt pavements
were laid during the year, OF which one
miles of brick block pavement was laid. OF
which nine-tenths OF a mile was repaVing
making the total pavement laid up 10 date
ninety miles is asphalt brick, stone qnf
macadam, the remainder being the remnant
OF the old wooden blocks OF which the las,
were laid seventeen years ago. The total
amounts to $5,S57.SsO. the mileage being as
asphalt, twenty-five and one-half miles Of
stone, eighteen and three-fOurths miles OF
brick four miles Of macadam And six Sa and
ment In yardage our pavement y approx
imately as follows; Asphalt, s6s, sOs square
yards; Colorado sand stone, ~, COZ square
yards; Sioux Falls quartzite. 1884 square
yards; vitrihed brick pavement, $50.
square yards and macadam three and
etght-tenths square yards.
inaSmuch as inquiries are frequently
made as to grades upon which asphalt
pavements are laid, II may be stated that
u per cent of the asphalt pavements laid
IN Omaha are upon grades OF less thar
per cent, 1874 per cent upon grades rang
| Ing from TO 6 per cent, per cent upoI
grades ranging from to per cent and
"a per cent, or practically one mile. upor
grades ranging from to ~ per cent
! The public works for the coming year
which are now under contract. represent
| twenty-four paving and curblng districts
| three sewer districts and n line OF MAR
sewer, representing In all about $4,000. Al
this work Is arranged TO be begun early II
the spring and to be prosecuted to com
pletion on or before July following.
Public information Bureau.
In addition 70 preparing necessary sur
veys, plans. specifications, estimates anG
Supervising public works, the Office not onl,
maintains a record department but also al
Information bureau for the accommodation
Of citizens seeking Information about prop
erty, grades records II sewers, water lines
special taxes, and innumerable other dat
connected with the affairs OF the city. Also
i the department 10 constantly called "a OF
BY the legal department TO collect ans
furnish data for law cases, the city cli
Rineer and often some OF his employs
keing called frequently into court as VII
nesses in suits both for an against IN
city. The department prepared during TN
iYear a22 ordinances large number OF reso