The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-02-12
.V|ADUCT Open
TO PUBLIC TRAVEL
Steel Bridge Over Marshall
Street Ready for
FREE TO ALL coMERs TO-DAY
Toll Charges Begin To-Mor-
row Morning at ~
o'clock.
FREE TO ALL C0MERs TO-DAY

Church Hill and Shockoc Hill will be
connected for the first time since Col
onel William Byrd laid Of Richmond
on her seven hills, this morning at Z
o'clock. when the new steel viaduct
OF the Richmond and Henrico RAILWAY
is thrown open TO general traffic To-
day you. can pass over 1t for nothing.
To-morrow you have 10 pay. While 1t
Will be many months before the COM
pany completes its power house and Is
prepared to operate street cars. tho
great bridge is ready for general traf-
Tic. and Will be thrown open from to-
day.
Ten Nenrs in Building.
The idea of connecting Tho TWO hills
BY viaduct has been talked OF for
shall Street and Grace street having
been tentative locations. In 1902 the
Citizens Rapid Transit Company s"cur-
Cd franchise 10 operate a line of
street cars, the chief feature of the
plan being this viaduct over Marshall
street from Fourteenth or College TO
Twenty-frst Street. at Jefferson Park
Massive concrete abutments were laid
in Marshall Street when the work
stopped for one reason or another. ard
for years nothing vas done Last year
the company rcorganized $ the Rich
mond and Henrico Railway Company.
new capital was secured and active
building opera tons resumed. the
opening OF the viaduct to- day marking
the first completed step in the pro-
gross OF the new company
View Of Whitley.
From the vladuct a wonderful View
may be obtained OF the railroad and
shipping centre of the city. The great
valley beneath has filled wonderfully
with tracks and warehouses and
freight dcpots. while GU, TO the north.
s;hockoc Creek winds its way from
side to side Of a wide valley, showing
at glance tho great Importance Of
Councilman Lynch's proposition TO wall
in the great sewer and sell off part
Of its bed as sites for factories.
The structure is 2.soo feet long, of
light stcci frame. resting on concrete
abutments, with Il concrete roadway
forty-t two feet wide. The board of the
new company has directed that the
viaduct be open 10 the public to-day
without charge for toll, and the public
is invited 10 view the structure AT
O'Clock Tomorrow morning tho toll
keepers viii report FOR duty. and they
Viii be always on the job, night and
day.
Schedule Of Toll.
! cent each for each direction. and one
Of the greatest, uses. il is believed, Will
be by throngs OF High school pupils
and medical students from Church Till.
coming and going from school. One
horse vehicles pay nickel two horse
vehicles, 10 cents, and automobiles in
proportion-that Is, cars seating not
more than two people may cross Tor
cents: those seating four people will
pay 10 cents: touring cars, seating eight
people, Viii be taxed 20 cents Ali
persons under ten years old SO free
Al! city vehicles street cleaning
carts, anbulances. patrol wagons and
fire apparatus also have tho right TO
cross free. night or day. The directors
OF the Richmond and lIenrico Railway
admit that the erection Of the bridge
has been 10 some extent experimental,
and the cit:' Will watch with interest,",
the development OF travcl, which will
not be complete until the car line Is
opened.
May Change Routes.
II has boon suggested thai; since tho
rev company Will usc tbs. tracks of
the Virginia Railway and Power COM,
pany on Broad street. that an cquable
arrangement might be made to transfer
the present Broad and Twenty-tifih
street line TO the viaduct, leaving only
the Oakwood cars TO go NJ and down
the steep and somewhat dangerous
Broad Street hill. 1t is believed that
ono line could take care Of all the
travel generating between Fourteenth
ana Eighteenth. OH Broad Street
To Install ORice-s.
recently elected officers VIII be In