The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-18
mo FREE v|ADUCT
ON BROAD STREET
Railway Company Now Proposes
to Change Routing Of Cars
to East End.
AFRAID OF HEAVY CLIMB
MIR. Lynch Refers to Inactivity
of Council When First Bona
Eide Offer Was Made
AFRAID OF HEAVY CLIMB

Ihat the inaction Of the old Commit
tee on Streets has lost the city Of Rich
mond a free viaduct over Broad Street
to Church Hill was brought out by Mr..
Lynch at a meeting of the Council
committee on Streets last night when
the virginia Railway and Power Com
pany applied for permission to change
the routing of it's Broad and Main
Street cars to save the heavy grade up
church Hill on Broad Street.
More than year ago the company,
then owning all the lines in Richmond
but operating under several conflicting
franchises, offered to the Council to
surrender all of the rights 1t held In
return for new blanket franchise for
all the lines, and included in the pro-
position was a general scheme for
advancement of trnckage throughout
the city and the erection of viaduct
over Broad Street, which ehould be
free to all citizens for vehicle and
pedestrian traffic. but be used BY the
street railway company for its cars.
me matter Went to subcommittee OF
the Committee on Streets, several
hearings were had. and when the old
eouncil died on August 81 the whole
proposition died in pigeon hole. II
has not been reintroduced.
New Company Got franchise.
meanwhile the Richmond and Hen
rlco i.allway company, which had
irahchise Tor eight years living dor
mant, came into sudden ACTIVITY and
began the erection of viaduct IN
church Fill by way of Marshall street
now more thar half completed and on
"nich 1t has authority from the Conn-
Gil TO charge reasonable" tolls hoth
for vehicles and pedestrians.
aiter the new Committee on Streets
was organized the Virginia Railway
and Power Company proposed an ny.
tension OF trackage In the West End
~. ~ sPitl the great fan-shaped section
dn s,Ne car service to a large resi-
uehtlai area Offering to use any ono
vi inc three or four streets s,,rpast.a
Hanover or Stuart Avenno
promptly the Richmond and uenr,co
i,aii"ay Company. owner of the new
Niaauct and OF certain franchises NO,
set IN use came forward with re-
quest Tor franchise to run out BROAD
street to Meadow, thence across Monu-
1nent Avenue at grade. to Hanover
street, and by loop to serve much
the same territory. Both propositions
were referred by the Committee IN
streets to a subcommittee OF sevAn
which has never met.
captain A B. Guigon general counse,
ior the Virginia Railway and Power
COMPANY appeared before the stree,
committee last night and asked per-
ii.tssion 10 erect ornamental lighting
st "a s IN front of the company.s
oihces at Main and Seventh Stree,s
which was granted. He also asked per.
mission to change the routing of the
Broad and Main Street car line cas-,
hound, from Eighteenth and Main
streets by carrying the cars on down
MAIN street TO Twenty-hrst, thence on
esistins tracks to Twenty-frst ana
Marshall Streets. up Marshall to
thence to BROAD all
on existing tracks OF the CLAW stree,
line, and then on out Broad to the
terminal. Westbound he proposed tne
cars should continue to come on down
Broad Street to Eighteenth as a,
present. The change is merely a,
route, and will require no new track.
age. but will relieve congestion on
Street and the steep grade
on Broad, regarded as more or less
dangerous. but up which the Broad
and Twenty-hfth Street cars Will con-
t''lue TO operate as at present
Captain Guigon said that at presen,
cars mad to wait at the bottom of the
hill until the one In front had made
the climb, to save danger of accident
MT, Lynch wanted special committee
appointed to look into the matter, and
seemed disposed to refuse to grant
concessions until the company has re-
ne"ed its proposal of free viaduct
but after much debate the whole mat
ter was referred to the Jefferson Ward
and the City Engineer. The
ward delegation consists of Messrs |
Lynch and Chairman Adams.