The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-05-04
Proposed Main Street I'M
provement, Supt. McDon-
aid Says, Would Decrease
Efficiency in Hauling.
MCDONALD APPEARS
BEFORE THE BOARD
He Argues That the Practi-
cal Thing to Do Is to Lower
the Street Officials Are
Impressed.

Little satisfaction was given the
board of works this morning by Su-
perintendent Scott Mcdonald of the
c. & O., when he appeared before the
city officials regarding the proposed
raising of the c. & O. overhead bridge
at Main and North First streets. The
board wants the bridge raised IS
inches to allow the large interurbans
of the Terre Haute and Eastern line
to pass under. and to improve the con-
dition of the street. The street is
said to be dark and dangerous under
the bridge.
Mcdonald says that the company is
trying to eliminate all severe grades
along the line. If the bridge at Main
street is raised, it will mean that a
grade of 68 feet to the hundred miles
must be made, decreasing the efiicien-
cy of the hauling power of the road
be started at the North Second street
crossing, making a two-foot raise in
distance of 200 yards.
1t Would Be Cheaper.
IL AOl uC CuCdpCI, dShcu
Mcdonald, Ito dig out the street IS
inches, than to raise our bridge?"
With the present grades of the line
Mcdonald says that only SOO-ton
trains can be hauled at places, where
as if the proper grades are maintain
ed the hauling capacity would be, 1000
tons. At places he declares the COM
pany is spending 100000 to decrease
the grade only / per cent. According
to his statement it is not the expense
81 fsisfnEsNfain street bridge that
'bothers the road officials, but it is the
decreased efficiency of the road.
In crossing other lines Mcdonald
says the company, is required to con-
form to the grades of the lines which
it crosses. He observed that as the
Terre Haute, Indianapolis and East
crn Traction company built after the
old C. r. & M. was constructed, that
company should conform to the old C..
r. & NJ grade. In many places the
grade Is fixed by contract with the
abutting property owners.
1--WE have no permanent plans at
the present time," said Mcdonald.
Double tracking, new steel spans,
concrete retaining walls and grade
changes are being considered. OF
course l can't tell now, but to me
there doesn't seem to be any practical
right-of.way in the city, but the one
over which the line is now built.
Raising the grade at Main street
looks to me much more impractical
than for the city to lower the grade of
Main street.
Mayor Zimmerman explained that
the city officials are being flooded with
complaints from West Richmond citi-
zens, principally, demanding that the
street be repaired under the bridge.
He holds that it is dangerous at pres
ent 1t is also said to be unsightly.
Mayor Zimmerman, however, said he
would favor an unsightly street, rath-
er than to work such hardship to
the railroad as increasing the grade 18
inches would undoubtedly be.
No action was taken on the matter
by the board, but City Engineer
Charles, with Mr.. Mcdonald and mem
OSA . Va NAS y. X ~. CAAo1ACCAAA6 NOL pS
will look over the situation.
Regarding the improvements on
South A street, where the board has
asked the company to build a new
.trestle on account of an improvement
of the street, Mcdonald said that the
company would probably build con-
crete retaining wall and do away with
the trestle. This will not be done for
a year or two. For the temporary i'm
provement there will be some repairs
made in the wooden structure that
now stands
The board has also demanded that
the company build new span at the
Light Plant road crossing. This road
has been ordered to be extended to
the river. Mcdonald said in the big
improvement of the road, steel span
will be placed at this point, but tenn
porarily it would not be practical to
put in steel.