The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-17
UP. TO RAILWAYS.
City Checks Up Expense Of
Sixth Street viaduct.
Steel and Concrete Structure to
Cost $1OO,OO0

Another move was made by the city
commissioners today in their determi-
nation to secure new viaduct over
East sixth street to be paid for by
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe,
the Missouri Pacific and the Topeka
Street Railway companies Their ac-
ton today was in line with course
decided upon several months ago.
Following the filing and acceptance of
general plans and specifications for a
new viaduct, which were prepared by
A. r. Young, city engineer. the city
attorney was directed today to draft
an ordinance requiring the railroads
to construct a viaduct in conformity
with the plans. and proportioning the
cost. The Santa Fe will. according to
the provisions of the motion adopted
today. be required to pay one-half. the
Missouri Pacific one-fifth and the To-
rpeka Street railway two-fifths of the
costs.
w. Tandy. who offered the mo-
ton, stated that it was the plan of the
city commission to wait "a reasonable
time after the passage of the ordi-
nance. and that if the railway COM
panies had then failed to accept the
terms of the ordinance. mandamus
proceeding would be started by the
city in the state supreme court to
force the railways to comply with the
provisions Of the ordinance. He said
that three or four months would be
considered ample time for the city to
allow the companies in which to COM
ply.
Concrete and Steel.
The plans as prepared by the city
engineer are It in detail. They
merely provide that a structure of
concrete and steel of certain width
and elevation and capable of with
standing a definite amount of heavy
traffic be built. They provide that
street cars use the center of the struc-
ture and that the bridge be sufficiently
strong to hold up cars weighing forty
tons.
The city commissioners are taking each
step in rhe viaduct matter only after care
ful elaboration. They do not care to
make anv mistakes which might cause
trouble should the railway companies de-
eide to fight the case in the courts rather
than comply with the requirements of the
ordinance. For this reason. following a
renort from the Santa Fe comnany in
winch the company conterded that the
present structure is dangerous and de-
manded that the city make repairs. a
bridge expert of national reputation was
employed to investigate and report on the
viaduct. His report confirmed that of the
Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe apparently ''got a bear Iby
the tall when the company demanded
Of the city that it make the needed re-
pairs. This demand based upon an
old contract entered into by the Santa
Te and the city several years ago in
which the city agreed to maintain the
present structure for thirty years. Since
its making there have been several court
decisions in which the position is taken
that the courts can provec. cities from
the consequences of unwise contracts
made by city officials 1t is on these de-
cisions that the city commissioners base
their homes of discriminating the city from
the expensive terms Of the old contract
1t is estimated that it would cost as
much to repair the old viaiuct as it would
10 build a new 7u1se: No officiaf estimate
of the cost of viaduct has been
made by the city engineer. Its cost is
approximated at 100000.
No representatives Of the railways were