Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-09-07

FOR RIO GRANDE
A NECESSITY
GOOD MONEY is WASTED
REPAIRING PRESENT ONE
Chairman 6runsfeId of the
County Commission Believes
Bond Issue and New Bridge
Only BusinesS-Iike Solution,

"Bernalillo county is throwing good
money after bad I'm the effort to keep
the presen. bridge over the Rio
Grande at Barelas from falling into
the river said Chairman Alfred
Grunsfeld of the county commission
Yesterday. Mr.. Grunsfeld and the
members of the commission, after hav-
ing spent considerable sums of money
during the spring and summer In re-
pairing the bridge and strengthening
the piers. now face another heavy but
absolutely necessary expense in re-
placing piling, unless the bridge is te
be allowed to fall into the river. for
recently almost all of the old supports
have been washed out and there APP
pears To be little assurance that the
new ones will last very long, for the
river under this bridge appears to be
without any bottom and bed rock is
so deep that no n has thus far been
able 20 guess how far away it Is.
But 1t Is necessary to keep this
bridge open for it is now the only one
in this part of the Rio Grande valley.
and with the river running bank full
and every prospect of the flow eontin-
uing for months, to allow the bridge
to go to spieces would not only WORK
a tremendous hardship on the people
across the river but would seriously
rctard business on this side.
The county commissioners have
realized for some time that there was
no permanent solution to this problem
but "a new bridge. For many years
the Rarclas bridge, originally a fairly
strong one, was allowed to go to rack
and ruin. No repairs were made. the
approaches became sink holes. and the
piers were allowed to rot and Loaf
away without being strengthened or
replaced. When the present county
commission took charge it found this
bridge in very bad condition and ii
was only by prompt work and the ex-
penditure Of considerable money hat
II was saved SINCE that time 1t has
been one continual drain on the
county treasury.
we realize thai it is imperative to
keep at least one bridge open along
the river in this part of the valley,
said Mr.. Grunsfeld. and we know
that II is up to this county t. do ii.
Therefore, while 1t is q hard task and
a distressing condition to have to put
so much money into his old struc-
ture, we a " no alternative and will
TO keep the bridge open. do
ing the work as economically as we
can. In the condition the bridge is in,
however, we can never tell when sonta
part OF it will drop into the river. and
W. navy Nb NaN ~ 10AAitiANt MlidN III
bridge will cost in repairs and main
tcnauce in the purse of a year.
There Is just one business like solu-
ton of this matter. This is to be
found in "A new bridge. an iron struc-
ture, modern and powerful and built
big enough and wide enough 10 stand
up against any flow hat may come.
The county has not the money to 10
this work and II is not likely to have
II from the current income for a good
many years to come. There is, how
ever one way in which IL can be done
md hat is through a bond issue.
Such a bond issue would necessarily
to be authorized by the legisla-
lure; but this should not be a difficult
matter. The Barelas bridge Is very
important not only to Albuquerque. but
b the whole county and all his part Of
ne valley. The Rio Grande has not
seen tordable half a dozen days dur
the past year, aud il is never a safe
tream for fording. A modern, ron
ridge. wide enough to lift 1t high
ibove any food could be built with a
comparatively small issue of bonds,
md to those of us who have studied
he matter this seems to be the only
out of the difficulty"