Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-22
CITY EXECUTIVE AGAIN
HITS WOOD PAVEMENT
Continued from First Pase3


noted are unsatisfactory, incon- |
gruous, misleading and do not suffi- |
GENTLY protect the city's interest |
In one particular instance in the
specifications the oil to be used is
called product of coal tar" and
elsewhere 1t is referred to as creosote
OIL
The fncongruity opens the door to
possible serious trouble, the mayor
further declares, and adds that the
commissioners should pay attention
to the faulty provisions with regard
to the guaranty and the making of
repairs. This Is a loophole which the
consulting engineer points out where
| by the contractor might readily es-
! cape responsibility for maintenance
| during the guaranty period.
| With regard to the twelfth objec-
ton the mayor goes into a brief his
| tory of wood blocks.
Engineer Towards report says in
answer to the question whether
wood block is suitable for Broad
| street:
I'm response to this question from
you, after careful consideration of
the.laws ofIthe State of New Jersey,
charter, ordinances, etc, of the city
of Newark, and the paucity of gem
eraI funds for repairing and main
| tanning pavements after the terms of
| guaranty have expired, / am of the
opinion that no wood block pavement
of the best available, competing
kinds, even superior TO the one kind
called for by the present specifica-
lions, Is suitable for paving Broad
street and being kept in continuous
good repair for many years after the
| first construction and eventual dis
repair. Among the reasons is the ex-
IRENE width of Broad street at vari-
GUS points where expansion and con-
traction of wood pavement will
Il, eventually cause a very great, con-
| slant and annual expense to keep it
in good and acceptable condition.
Certain portions of Broad street have
| large number of railway tracks
which intersect, cross and diverge in
curves; and at these locations wood
pavement would soon be almost i'm
possible to keep in repair without ex-
cessive expense. While wood pave
ment when new is not very difficult
to clean, it becomes more difficult
and expensive with age, when the
pavement has become uneven and
worn.
Too Absorbent.
Wood pavement when old, if dis
placed by expansion and contraction
and worn by traffic, absorbs water
and filth and becomes detrimental
to traffic, and insanitary.
Wood pavement is luxury for
wealth lined streets of moderate
width, which can afford the high cost
of first construction and subsequent
great cost of maintenance, compared
with certain other kinds of pave
ments which fulfil all the functions
at much less cost for longer periods
of time, and some of which others
can be economically Kept in constant
good condition indefinitely.
The big price of wood block pave
ment, 1874 per square yard, al
though including an exceptional eight
| inch instead of a standard six inch
concrete foundation, is high, com
pared with the average cost of wood
! pavement in the cities of the United
States which in thirty-six cities
is an average of S2.71 per square
Ward But excluding the cities which
! have ; Ihstantially closed specif1ca-
tions and which require genuine Gre
osote oil, which has gravity of 1o3
to 10y, the average price is $2.55.
Taking two cities near Newark, the
cost on standard six-inch foundation
| in Richmond Borough, New York
city, bidding of December 16, 1913, is
$274 per square yard, and if the
foundation were increased to eight
inches, the cost would be $3.50 per
square yard, including f1ve-year
maintenance, as in Newark. In Jer-
sey City, during 1908 to 1912, the
prices range between S2.55 and $3.50
per square yard, but for the largest
contract, Is 700 square yards, the price
was s2.55 per square yard, inclL ing
five-year guaranty. On this basis,
which should apply TO Newark, and
adding IS cents per square yard for
extra two inches of concrete now
called for in Newark, wood pavement
of the b6st quality of creosoted blocks
could be laid on Broad street for
about $3.50 per square yard, especial
| ly because Broad street would re-
quire $500 square yards. The price
bid for the present contract, 1884 per
square yard, is, in my opinion, too
high and means an excess charge of
about $4o,770. If standard six-inch
concrete were specified for Broad
street, the cost of wood pavement
should be either $3.50 per square yard
on the basis of Jersey City prices for
large contracts, or $274 per square
yard, as per contract of December 16,
1913, for 1860 square yards in Rich
mond Borough, New York city.
Figures on Frontage.
"The total frontage, including pri-
vate property, to be assessed, and
public property in front of parks, City
! Hall and street intersections, assessed
upon the taxpayers at large, Is 1914
feet The total frontage petitioning
for wood pavement is about 4,875 feet,
which is only 20 per cent. of the whole
total Seventy-one per cent, or 1889
feet, including public property, has
not petitioned for wood block pave
ment. There are a great many prop
erty- owners, representing a large foot
frontage, who are demonstrating
against wood pavement on Broad
street.
1.-THE present specifications exclude
several kinds of wood block pave
ments and genuine creosote oils,
which have proven successful for
many years in many cities of Europe
and America and which compete with
each other as we'll as with the one
proposed The one proposed is rela-
lively new and not as good as those
excluded. This increases the cost and.
7 believe, will give disagreeable and
| less durable pavement.
IAN unwarranted thickness of eight
| inches of concrete foundation Is con-
trary to almost universal practise.
The quantity of traffic on Broad
street, by actual count, is much less,
and never likely to be more, than the
greater traffic on principal streets of
| the largest cities of America, which
have six-inch concrete foundations.
The extra two inches of concrete will
| cause an unnecessary expense OF
about 20.250 more than standard,
dense and durable foundation SIX