Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-28
COMPANY IS DIRECTED To
RECONSTRUCT ITS TRACKS.
Board Notifies Wheelwright That
East Broad Street Route
Must Be Rebuilt.
ORDINANCE GRANTED RELEASE
Measure Passed by Council in March
Relieved Company Temporarily
From Obligation to Reconstruct,
but Franchise Provision Stands.

City Engineer Boiling was instructed
yesterday by the Administrative Board
to notify tho Virginia Railway and
Power Company to reconstruct at once
it's tracks on East Broad street be-
tween Twenty-fourth and Thirty-sec-
ond Streets.
The order was entered after a hear
ing which went in detail into the West
Broad street paving matter. and the eX-
tent to which the street car company is
under obligation to reconstruct it's
tracks and do its share OF the paving az
soon as the paving of the rest of the
street is undertaken by tho city.
President Whcelwright. Of the vir-
ginia Railway and Power Company,
pointed to the ordinance approved by
the Council on March IL. temporarily
releasing the company from the re-
construction of its tracks on Broad
street between Eleventh and Thirty
fourth Streets.
ORDINANCE GRANTED
TEMPORARY RELIEF
Section of this ordinance reads:
The said Virginia Railway and
Power Company is hereby temporarily
released from the reconstruction Of its
tracks on Broad Street, from Eleventh
street TO Thirty fourth Street, but sha |
allow its said tracks TO remain as at
present located and in their present
condition until permission to construct
and operate the track and connection
lhereinbefore granted In Section shall
be revoked. or until the Council shall
require the removal of same"
City Attorney Pollard told the board
that notwithstan ding the language of
this section the ordinance did not re-
lease the street car company from its
franchise obligation to reconstruct Its
tracks and pave between the rails and
two feet outside the rails with the sam G
So,
same time that the city undertakes the
work
Mr.. Wheelwright told the board that
he was not prepared to argue the legal
question, but that. as a matter of policy.
| II would be unwise to force the COM
pany to eXpend approximately $4,000
Tor the reconstruction of n track which
may ultimately be abandoned He
asked the board If il were not possible
to shift the paving to some other sec
tlon of the city pending the adjustment
OF the East Broad Street track problem
tttos 1escaf haron etaoinn n m m m m
CONTRACT WAS LET
LAST SEPTEMBER
Commissioner Hirschberg pointed out
that the contract for paving East Broa d
Street. between Twenty fourth and
Thirty-second Streets, with asphaltic
concrete, was awarded TO the Central
Construction Company last September,
some time before the Virginia Railwa v
and Power Company flied it's application
for a new franchise. and long before
the rerouting ordinance was passed.
That section OF Broad Street. he said,
was badly in need of the improvement
and is entitled 10 II.
AS the matter stands there appears to
be a sharp conflict OF authority between
the Council and the Administrative
Board. The latter insists upon the
company carrying out the reconstruct
ton imposed upon 1t by its franchise,
and the former, by special ordinance.
has temporarily released the company
from its obligation to reconstruct the
tracks in question.
WOULD ABANDON EAST
BROAD STREET TRACKS
The company's reluctance to rebuild
its East Broad Street tracks arises
from the fact that in It's petition for a
now franchise it asks to be permitted to
line, which is parallelled one block
away by the tracks on Marshall Street.
The maintenance of the two parallel
lines, the company claims, is unsound
economically and burdens both the
company and the public.
The Central Construction Company, il
was stated yesterday, is prepared now
to begin the East Broad Street paving
contract. which will embrace the
whole stretch from St. Johns Church
TO Chimborazo Park. 1t would be i'm
pave its own share of the roadway,
leaving the portion between the rails
and two feet outside tho rails to be
paved by the company later when the
trackage problem is adjusted