Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-27
COMMITTEE WANTS BELT
LINE TRACKS DEPRESSED
Declares for Extension of West End
Avenues approximately ON
Present Grades.
ASK ENGINEER FOR BLUE PRINTS
Both Hankins and Myers Plans Are
Tabled, and Committee Calls ON
Railroad to Say Whether II Will
Lower Tracks.

Against the advice of Chairman Pol
/ lock. tho Council street Committee
/ yesterday afternoon adopted. by Il di-
i vidcd vote. Il motion offered ~ Alder
man Fuller declaring il to he the sense
! IF the committee that the Eclt Line
! tracks should be so depressed as to
| Dcrmit the extension Of all I: tcrscct-
! Ing streets over the tracks nearly as
I practicable at their present grades.
The same motion directs II" Admins
! istrativc Board 70 prepare plans to
| show how the Improvement described
| may be carried out. and to reIo-t such
plans together with an approximate
estimate of the cost. at a meeting of
the committee to be held 1T = o'clock
in the afternoon on November %. This
! date was fixed at the suggestion of
Henry i. Beck. OF the Administrative
Board. who said that it will require at
least thirty days to prepare the rough
dra wings.
DEPRI;SS TRACKS TO Allow
STREETS TO CROSS At GRADE
Under the Fuller resolution. the COM
mittee declares itself in favor Of a,plan
calling for the depressing # the Belt
Line tracks low enough to allow the
! crossing of the streets at their present
! grades. even If such depression should
ncccSsitatc at some points the con-
struction of Il tunnel
| The committee included in the same
motion request TO the Richmond.
! Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
Company that IL direct its cnginecrs to
/, prepare plans looking to carrying out
the committees views. and also that il
| report to the committee whether or not
ii will accept the plan sugg ,stcd
The committee room was crowded
with a large delegation of citizens in
! tcrcSted more immcdiatcly in the OK
! tension OF Monument Avenue. The body
had met in conformity with 4 motion
adopted at the last meeting, calling u
! conference between the committee and
! the Administrative Board for the pur-
: pose of considering the general Qucs-
/ ton of Belt Line crossings.
HAWKINS AND MYERS
PLANS OBJECTED TO
/ Two plans were before the commit
! tee. One OF these prepared by Assist
ant city Engineer IIankins. provided
/ for the lowering OF the streets ut the
Belt Line and their crossing UNDER
meath the tracks which. under this
plan. were to be elevated several feet.
! The other plan, suggested by Engineer
T.. 7. -. Myers, Jr., while he was In the
! employ of the city as chief of the an
! ucXation surveying force. provided for
a moderate depression of the tracks
, and an overhead crossing of the streets
/ Both of these plans were objected to
/ and Chairman Pollock suggested that
the matter be sent back TO the Adj
/ ministrativc Board with instructions
to devise some plan which would bet
ter meet the views of the committee.
; City Attorney Pollard here suggested
tina, since both the railroad company
ana the city were represented. the com
, mittec attempt now to ascertain from
the representatives of the railroad a
/ definite statement Of the extent to
! which they will meet tho city in any
plan looking to the depression OF the
! tracks.
Eppa Hunton, N. general counsel
for the Richmond, Fredericksburg and
/ Potomac. told the committee that his
/ company regards the plan TO lower
the tracks as feasible, but that it
could not give it's Endorsement to any
] plan until il is definitely established
how deep the tracks would have to he
depressed. whether OF not any tun-
nclinG would be ncccSSitatcd and how
The drainage problem would lac cared
for The company, he said is anxious
to have the Hclt Line crossing problem
settled amicably. and is as anxious as
! the city Is to secure an adjustment
Of il ut an early date, in order that
every obstacle Nigh, he removed that
now rctards West End development.
POLLOCK Objects TO
REFLECTION OF PENDING PLANS
Chairman Pollock objected that such
action on the part az the committee
',puld preclude the further conSidcra-
ton of the ilankinS plan and Of the
scheme suggested ny Engineer Myc"s
and that il would be unwisc to throw
these two plans out until a better plan
* found. He suggested that the com
mittce merely direct the Adminis'r a
tive Board to prepare plan in &c
coi dance with NJ. pullcrS motion
leaving out that part of il which :s"un,: