Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-10-26
SALEM BRIDGE CLOSED
INTER-CoUNTY STRUCTURE IS
DANGEROUS TO TRAVEL.
Polk Being Financially Unable 10
Bear Its Portion of Burden, Fer
ry Will Garry Traffic.

AS result OF the conference mere
on Saturday between the county
courts of Marion and Polk counties
the inter-county bridge was closed to
traffic on Sunday morning. A free
public ferry will be established and
will take the place of the bridge for
some time to come, as the outcome of
the conference revealed the fact that
the present condition of Polk county
finances will not permit the court to
expend its share in the erection Of a
new steel span. Law requires that
this county pay one-third of the to-
tai cost of construction and another
law requires that taxes cannot be in
creased more than 6 per cent over
either of the proceeding years, and
such an increase in the tax levy in
this country would not create suf-
ficient amount to pay the county's
share of the new bridge. Another
bridge, therefore, will probably not be
built for several years. Salem, which
owns one-third share in the present
bridge has been deprived by law of
erection of another.
The closing of the bridge is the di-
rect result of the report rendered to
Judge Teal last week by the state en-
gineer's office. The judge and Polk
county commissioners do not care to
be morally and legally liable for the
great catastrophe that might occur
should traffic continue over the unsafe
structure and the only thing for them
to do was to order it closed. Judge
Teal expressed the opinion that the
bridge could be kept open under strict
traffic regulations, but the commits
sioners and the Marion county count
voted to close it to passage. Judge
Teal, Commissioners Wells and Beck
ct of Polk county, Max Gehlhar and
Frank Gibson of the citizens joint
committee of Polk and Marion coun-
ties and Councilman Cook and Hudel-
son of Salem, County Judge Bushey
and Commissioners Goulet and Beck
with attended the joint conference
here on Saturday.
So 1t is Judge Teal's opinion, and he
so expressed himself when he voted
against the proposition of closing the
bridge to traffic, that the span is not
in the condition that the advocates of
the new bridge have made themselves
believe it is. The span was built %
years ago to carry a load of 1890
pounds to the foot and it was said at
that time that it would take at least
four times that weight to overstrain
the bridge. In his report Engineer
Holmes said that it had decreased
from 5 to 20 per cent. At maximum
decrease of 25 per cent the bridge
should still be able to hold safely
weight of 1850 pounds to the foot.
During state fair week the greatest
weights and the heaviest traffic that
ever crossed the inter-county bridge
used the structure. 1t is freely admit
ted by all, including Judge Teal, that
the bridge has practically outlived
its usefulness and that it is decidedly
out of date, but in view of the pres
ent state of financial affairs in Polk
some can hardly see where :
$4,000, or Polk county's
third of the cost of new bridge, is :,
10 come from. 1t has been suggested
hat $4,000 be taken from the road
budget and applied to the cost of the
,ridge and the remainder raised under
he Bingham law, providing a maxi
mum taxation, over either of the two !,
previous years, of six per cent. But !;
hat would stop road improvement !
work in this county, and roads
ire perhaps more necessary and valu- n
lble to the taxpayers of the county u
han the bridge is at this time. Judge n
Teal is favorable to the erection of y
r. new bridge and is anxious to see :
he work started, but he has not yet =
gured how it can be done for year y
r two at least. In the meantime he q
'elieves the present bridge would an .
wer its purpose under strict traffic a
equations, if it is really in the con- II