Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1915-05-15
CITY FAVORED AI
CROSSING HEARING
That is the Opinion of the
Mayor and AIdermen17Is
Adjourned Until June 2.

In the opinion of Mayor Ferd Gar
tretson and the aldermen the hearing
yesterday before the Board of Public
| Utility Commissioners relative to the
separation of grades at five railroad
and street crossings in this city was
favorable, so far as the city is con-
eerned. There being little cross ex-
animation, because the railroad law
yers chose to wait until they had con-
sidered the city's plans for grade
crossing elimination, the hearing did
not consume more than two hours.
The case was adjourned for contin-
uation of the hearing before the
Board of Public Utility Commission
ers in the chancery chambers at Jer-
sey City at 1890 O'Clock in the
morning of Wednesday, June 2. May
or Garretson and others expressed
themselves as being pleased that the
board gave this city date ahead Of
that set down for a hearing on the
Elizabeth elimination project
One of the biggest points to favor
the city through the elevation idea,
as brought out yesterday, is the pro-
posed elevation of the Iehigh Valley
tracks, the extension of New Bruins
wick avenue under the tracks and
the connecting of Johnstone and
Stanford streets in a similar manner
The streets will have to be depress-
ed about fourteen feet at that point,
engineers testified. 1t is proposed to
elevate the Lehigh Valley yard
tracks about two feet at Washington
and about foot at New Brunswick
avenue. The depressing will be grad
ually decreased to a point about sew
enty-five feet east of Prospect street
and about the same distance west of
Amboy avenue. Property damage
will be slight, by this method, as
houses can be given additional sto-
ries, or lowered to meet the grade.
Engineer Hand. of the General
Contracting and Engineering Com
pany, associated with City Surveyor
Samuel J. Mason, gave some valua-
BILE testimony yesterday. This seem
ed to impress the commissioners and
Attorney Reynolds, chief counsel for
the Central Railroad Company, took
occasion to cross examine him. The
engineer told in detail of the propos-
ed work. He declared that through
the elevation plan. Market street
WOulu DC uSpIeSSeu aDOuL three 1eeI
under the Central tracks, Smith
street about the same distance, New
Brunswick avenue about six feet and
Washington street about fourteen
feet. He declared that industrial
sidings along the line had been pro-
yided for in the elimination plans.
In the opinion of Mr.. Hand, the
entire job would consume about a
year and railroad traffic would not be
impeded thereby. In reply to ques-
tions, the engineer stated that de-
preston was difficult under existing
conditions and was costly, costing
about three times as much as eleva-
tion. He declared that such a cut
would cause interference by snow
and would be difficult to drain. In
short, he favored elevation because
but fourteen feet of clearance was
needed for road travel, where as the
railroads required twenty-five feet of
space between rails and bottom or
overhead structures.
Mr.. Hand testified that center col
umns for bridges, such as were pro-
posed in the elevation system here,
were found convenient and practi-
cable in other places.