The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-23


Following the report yesterday of
City Engineer Walter Kirkpatrick,
plans for the first and what is con-
sidered the most important section of
the grade crossing system for the city
of Birmingham was made public by
city Commissioners James Weatherly.
The plans that have been completed
and which are given below concern only
the grade crossings between the Termi
nal station and Thirteenth street in
the very center of the town Viaducts
constitute the solution of the majority
of these crossings
The present status of the grade cross
ing plans of the city were brought
about by the city commissioners some
several weeks ago employing j. w.
Stearnes, an engineer from Indianapolis,
who is a grade crossing export With
Mr.. Stearnes' assistance, the city en-
gineering department went at the enor-
nous task with renewed vigor and the
present plans are the result
At a conference some several months
ago between the city officials and the
neering department sumbitting a grade
crossing plan for the entire city was
decided upon, the railroad representa-
tives then to meet with the city Off
cials in another conference at which
the plans were to be submitted as a
basis of negotiations.
The crossing of the Frisco and other
tracks on the north side are not oea1t
with in the present plans. The city
officials intend to take the system
step by step, and the tracks at Ninth
and Tenth avenues. north, Will prob
ably be the subject of the next set of
that both these tracks will be run
down Ninth avenue on an elevated track
over the streets.
None of the city commissioners de-
sire to be quoted on the present plans.
None of the provisions have been
adopted. They are now in the hands
of the railroad representatives for their
inspection and their report on them will
be made to the city officials October
15
The present plans are only basis
tiations with the railroads, bat it is
generally believed that the city officials
will insist on their being carried out
in main, although some minor changes
may be made before a final agreement
with the railroads is reached.
Engineer Kirkpatricks report fol-
lows:
Considerations of First Importance
I'm making the proposed plan, the fol-
lowing conditions have been considered
of first Importance:
IL The railroads ascend eastward
through this district ON a grade of about
s per cent. the Louisville and Nashville
railroad having summit near Twenty
eighth street and First avenue, which is
23.7 feet higher than the track at Twen-
tieth street After passing this summit,
the Louisville and Nashville road descends
to Village creek. Similar conditions per-
tain to the Alabama Great Southern rail-
road.
80 The Birmingham Terminal station is
new, useful and expensive structure
and its grade should be retained IL prac-
ticable
IS. On First avenue, north, and First
avenue. south. the ground is from 10 to 10
feet higher than the tracks.
"a Twentieth street and Eighteenth
street are among the most prominent
streets In Birmingham; Twentieth street,
If unobstructed by tracks. would carry
a much larger vehicle and pedestrian traf-
ffc than any other street in Birmingham,
perhaps as much as any other two streets
IS. The four freight depots are located
near where Twentieth street crosses tho
II cks. Minimum clearances are assumed
to be % feet for viaducts and IA feet for
subways, with three feet depth for floor
structures. These conditions all point to
elevating the tracks over Twentieth street
and to railroad grades descending thense
eastward, so as to bring the tracks down
TO the level of the present freight yards
and team tracks, and also point to the
construction of yiaducts from the higher
ground on First avenue. north, and First
avenue, south. across these tracks, so as
to leave large area, about 1000 by 700
feet unobstructed as freight yards The
Louisville and Nashville tracks can then
be continued northward with diminished
grade, also. the Terminal station can be
reached easily from all of these tracks
The present plan may then be described
as follows:
Required of Railroads
louisville and Nashville Railroad-Be-
ginning point about 1000 feet west OF Thir-
teenth street the two Louisville and
Nashville main tracks, on per cent
grade, are to be elevated over Thirteenth.
Fourteenth, Eighteenth and Twentieth
streets. the surface of each of these
streets being at the same time somewhat
depressed. From Twentieth street the
tracks descend on per cent grade 10 a
point near Twenty-third street, there in
tersecting the present track grade. From
Twenty-third street the tracks run nearly
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