Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-10-12
BRIDGE GHOST BOBs UP
INTER-COUNTY STRUCTURE rs
UNDER DISCUSSION.
Polk Not Inclined to Consider Build.
ing Proposition at This Particu-
lar Time.

When the county court visited Sa.
lem last week 10 confer with the Mar
ion county court relative to the con
struction of an inter-county bridge
across the Willamette river between
Salem and West Salem, Judge John
B. Teal discouraged the building of
the proposed bridge at this time, he
approaching the indisputable fact
that the taxpayers of Polk county
are sufficiently incumbered without
adding ito their expenditures for the
consummation of the proposed under
taking. 1t is estimated that Polk
county's proportion Of the cost would
be approximately $4,000, but that
estimate would probably be exceeded
by from $4,000 to 100000 before the
bridge was finally completed. With
the expressed opinion that the pres
emit structure is safe to traffic, and
will be for several years to come, the
Polk county court will be in no hurry
about assessing the people in order
to crafty longing on the part of
Marion county. And, besides, under
present conditions it would be quite
impossible for this county to raise an
amount sufficient for the purpose
without taxation beyond the limit
permitted by law.
The two courts visited the bridge
and discussed the matter quite fully,
whereupon a request was made that
a site be selected, but this matter was
of no particular interest to this coun-
ty and the commissioners declined Ito
participate in that part of. the pro-
gram. That the bridge is in safe con-
dition is the opinion Of Judge Teal,
the structure having received num-
ber of repairs recently, among them
being new decking. One of the points
made by the Marion county people
who are interested in having a new
bridge at that point is that the floor
is rough for travel, but this may be
easily remedied, says Judge Teal, by
applying hot asphaltum and rolling a
quantity of sand Herewith, thus MAX
ing a smooth wearing surface that
would last for many years. The OBJ
lection made by the Marion court ITO
this proposition was that it would add
too much weight to the bridge, and
further endanger it, but the argument
does not appear to be well supported.
When the structure was re-decked last
year several tons of weight were re-
moved by taking out large number
of unnecessary stringers of huge pro
portions, and the elimination of these
the belief that the bridge
would easily carry the weight of the
proposed mixture.
While Marion county would have a
bridge with a thirty-foot roadway, the
Polk county court is of the opinion
that a heavier structure should be
built in order to care for the years
to come. The probabilities are that
within the not very distant future
there will be need of a street car /
track from Salem to West Salem, and
by leasing the inter-county bridge for 1
this purpose some revenue might be
derived, but this could not be taken s
advantage of with thirty-foot road I
way. West Salem is fast developing {
as residential section, and the time S
is soon coming when many Salem peo-.
pie will make their homes in that ]
portion of Polk county, and interur t
1an transportation facilities will then t
become necessity. Taking all the e
existing facts into consideration |
r1 Al L 7