The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-12-01
MANKATO FREE PRESS

"LOrin Cray, Esq, MankatO, Mimi,
Dear Sir: l must apologize for my
failure to comply with your request
that | write you in regard to the
proposed viaduct over the railway
tracks on Main street in your city.
1.-THE press of other work an fire.
quent trips from the city have pre-
vented my writing you until this
time.
Il wish to state in commencing
that | believe the attitude of this
company in projects that are rea-
sonable, which have for their pur-
pose the increased safety and con-
venience of the public, would be a
cooperative rather than an obstruct-
i've one.
Has His Doubts.
AS to the proposed viaduct on
Main street, it seems to me that
there is a grave doubt as to whether
it is feasible or desirable, when
viewed from all sides.
81 venture to say that go per cent
of the travel over the railway tracks
on Main street, is to and from the
Omaha depot. In case viaduct was
built over the tracks on Main street
there would not be room enough to
make an incline from the viaduct of
the Omaha statiOn-cOnsequen the
same sixty per cent travel would
continue to cross the railway tracks
at grade, as present. iii going to and
from the Omaha station.
"Thus it is seen that at the very
outset we are confronted with
situation that can not be remedied
by the building of the viaduct.
An ImpracticabIe Proposition.
"It would be absolutely impractic-
able to begin the south approach
of the viaduct at the north line of
Front street. or to try to gain the
necessary distance by going east
parallel with Front street and then
turning north to the river. The
grade in either case would be pro-
hibitive.
1.-THE only feasible method of get
ting over the tracks on Main street
with a viaduct is to begin the ap.
proach at the north line of Second
street and pass over Front street
high enough to clear traffic on
that street This would mean that
at the south line of Front street the
floor of the viaduct would be about
seventeen feet above the street and
the height in the clear, above the
street would be about fourteen feet
The raise from the south line of
Front street to the Milwaukee right
of way would be eight feet, in order
to obtain the required twenty-five
feet in the clear above the rails of
the Milwaukee track.
Meet With Objections.
'In starting the approach at the
north line of Second street you
would probably have to meet with
very strenuous objections from the
people owning property Oh Main
street and also from the people com
ing in from either direction on
Front street and wishing to go to
North Mankato. These people would
necessarily have to go two blocks
out of their way to get across the
river.
"Then there is the question of the
approach in the north side of the
river. There is now quite a steep
grade leading up to the present
advisable to put grade on the new
river spans, heavy enough to meet
the present level of the north ap-
proach. This would be objection
able (aside from making an awk-
ward design on account of the
great difficulty there would be in
hauling heavy loads over these river
spans in the winter after the wind
had blown a large portion of the
snow off of them. ] think it would
be necessary to build an approach
on the north side approximately 600
feet long. 1t would be considerably
cheaper to buy sufficient property on
that side to allow the embankment
slopes to run out on and build the
entire approach Of earth rather than
attempt to confine the slopes with
concrete walls.
Cost of Structure, $4,000.
"On the basis of solid approach
from the north line of Second street
to the south line of Front street,
composed of concrete walls on the
sides and end and filled with earth;
steel viaduct from the south line of
Front street to the south end of the
present river bridge; new steel
spans over the river, with the floor
system on the top chord approx.
mately twenty-five feet above the
present floor: necessary additional
masonry in piers and abutments and
an earth approach on the north
side of the river, the cost of the
project, without making any allow
ance for damages to property own
ers. would be somewhere i'm the