Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-14

The old Plank road, that two and
one-f1fth mile twenty-foot wide
stretch of bumps, mud and ruts, that
'used to connect this city and jersey
City, and was used for practically all
the teaming that took place between
this city and New York, is thing OF
the past.
In its place has risen q beautiful
boulevard, 100 feet in width, with side
walks on either side. with double
roadway and two lines Of street-car
tracks in the centre. The word
ls'risen'' is used advisedly above for the
new road Is In reality from eight TO
twelve feet higher than the old mar
row planked way that formerly
spanned the meadows.
or the 100 feet width of the new road
ten feet on either side are used as
sidewalks. On the north side there II
a twenty nine-foot roadway, paved
with wood block, while on the south
side Is a roadway of similar width
paved with granite block. Between
the two paved sections Is a street
twenty-one feet wide. which accom-
nodates the Public Service Halfway
company's two trolley tracks. Inc
trolley poles are set in the centre OF
the street. between the two tracks,
TINS doing away with the unsightiy
overhead construction necessary when
trolley poles are placed on either side
OF the roadway.
The object of using the two KINGS OF
pavement on the new road is twoioiu.
4 noiseless pavement is provided for
light vehicles and automobiles useu
for pleasure purposes on the hoICa
side. where the wood block pavement
Is laid. The solid granite block pave
u,ent on the south side is for the use
~ the heavily laden trucks that are
constantly traversing the road night
and day.
Ths Plank road-that is really a
n,;snorner for it now, as there is not
4 plank used in its CONSTRUCTIONS
n stands today has cost the counties
~ JIss.sx and Hudson approximately
IT 81 2. 600 This includes the cost oil
f,,.iIIing and pavinw the new 1O0-fee1-
vide roadway, less the cost OF the
tsxenty-one feet in the centre USED
bv the Public Service Railway COM
panv and for which that COMPANY
bears all expense, and the cost OF
two bridges, one over the Fassalc
river and the other over the hachen-
seek river.
The roadway reconstruction ana
naving cost about 100000, the Pas
sale river bridge s275,o00 and the
Hackensack bridge s33s.000. The
prices given above are not the total
prices OF the two bridges, that being
"a per cent. more in each instance,
but as the Public Service Railway
Company pays that, only the actual
cost to the two counties Is gwen
here. .oo a.,
of this great expense. 81, 600, the
eountv of Essex bears t1ve-eighths,
Or $500. 625 the remaining three
eighths, OF s4s2,s75, is borne by Hud-
son county. The actual cost OF the
paving work was about $1S6.000.
Tc, raise the roadway from eight TO
ten feet above the old level and
make a firm foundation, about 5OO,oOO
rs,Yic feet of dirt was used as filler
Most of this soil came from the sub
way construction In New York CITY,
being sent from New York on barges
bv way of New York bay and New
ark bay.
Retaining Wall Needed.
Practically all of the fiIling-in work
was done between the Passaic and
Hackensack river bridges, where the
roadbed Is built directly across what
is practically the centre of the New
ark meadows. over a mile of concrete
retaining wall has been constructed,
and there is over three miles or
drainage pipe laid in the new road.
The work has been going on Tor
about three years, all of it having
been done in the open months, 1t
being Impossible to work to ad-
vantage in the winter time. with
the exception of few days traffic
was continued without interruption
One side of the new roadway was
built before the old road was torn
up, Likewise traffic over the bridges
was not interfered with, the old
bridge being moved to one side while
work on the new structure was I'M
der way.
The entire work has been under
the supervision of former county. now
consulting engineer of Essex county,
James Owen. and T. j. Wasser,
county engineer of Hudson county.
Ernest V. Neary, as assistant engi-
neer. has been actually in charge of
the work. representing the two coun-
ties, the greater part of the time.
Engineer Owens Work.
To Engineer Owen belongs the
greater part of the credit for the
building of the splendid roadway.
Now that the term plank Road has
become a misnomer several new
names for the thoroughfare have
been suggested. One suggestion Is