Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-04-19
FRIDAY, APRIL Io, 1919.
THE UNDERPASS AT MIDDLE
BURY.


In spite of much exertion by Mr.. Bat
tell who offered to pay $4,000 towards
the underpass if it was placed. where it
should be, under Seymour Street. and
in spite of the well known fact that
nearly every citizen in Middlebury, if
not every one, was DESTROYS that it
should be so placed, we understand, that
the Railroad management are deter
mined to follow, not their original
plan, for the original plan was, as Mr.
Jarvis informed the writer, to build the
pass under Seymour Street, but the
later one of placing the pass under Elm
Street.
There are two great objections to this
last: LIST, it closes up one of the princi-
pal streets of the Village, and that has
always been one of the principal streets
within the memory of the oldest in
habitant, being mile in length, start
ing from the Center and ending by
crossing Otter River by the long covered
bridge built many years ago and still in
good repair, which connects at this
point Middlebury and Weybridge.
The citizens of Middebury do not
want this done. 1t ought not to be
done.
There is no reason whatever and
never has been why it should be, except
that it will cost less. How much less
we don't know. 1t is claimed $40, 900
or more. 1t is impossible for us to see
how it could cost that more, unless
there was a marked difference in the
quality of the work. 1t would doubt
less cost good deal more, perhaps
$4,000, because there is some more
excavation and longer retaining walls
and little more expense on the bridge.
There are upon Seymour Street be-
tween 40 and so residences, nearly all
of them fairly good and quite a number
of them very good.
These conditions should be reason
enough why the Pass should be placed
at Seymour Street.
But there is another very important
reason, that the Elm Street Pass, as
laid out, has two curves, one at each
end, so that no person who enters this
pass knows what dangers he may meet.
That is, he cannot see what may be in
it or beyond it. Unquestionably there
will be quite frequently automobiles;
and when we read that last year in one
State alone, Massachusetts, there were
killed upon the highways very near 100,
and injured, many very seriously, nearly
1000, and in the United States killed
nearly or quite 1000, and injured about
10000, one may well hesitate entering
such pass at all Some, if not many,
would undoubtedly prefer to go nearly
mile out of their way by Weybridge
Street on the other side of the river.
These conditions are going to be es-
pecially annoying for the Government
Farm, all of whose visitors or those
who carry on the farm have to come
this way, whether to depot or village,
and cannot go any other without in
creasing very much the distance.
1t is well known that Vergennes has
been very much dissatisfied with the
underpass built for them by the Rut-
land road for this same reason and shun
it what they can.
The question naturally arises, why do
the railroads build these dangerous
passes, far more dangerous in their ma
ture than the conditions which they
undertake to improve.
The only answer is that they can build
them cheaper where the road crosses
obliquely.
In the present case Seymour street is
almost straight for mile but it strikes
the track oblquely and for this reason
the Underpass will cost little more
than the one on Elm street; but from
every consideration the Seymour street
Underpass would be far more acceptable
to the public. On Seymour street
travellers could see what was ahead of
them and avoid collisions while on Elm
street, as we have mentioned, there
will he dangerous turns at either end
two at the West end-where sooner or
later accidents are certain to occur, so
that instead of removing dangerous
conditions they will be very much in
creased.
There is one remedy, and one, we
think, that will not be very difficult to
obtain, and that is for the Legislature
to pass law holding the railroad
companies liable for all damages caused
by dangerous. underpasses constructed
by them.