Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-15
FAVORS PERMANENT BRIDGES
Repairing and Replacing Steel and
Wood Structures Cost More
Than Concrete.
ENGINEER PRESENTS FACTS


OAKLAND. Cal, Sept aA--In a speech
before the Psn-American road congress
here today w. 8. Gearhart Kansas state
highway engineer depldred the poor bust
ness policy OF building cheap culverts
and bridges which have to be repaired
or rebuilt after every flood. making the
expense In the long run much greater
than an original permanent structure
would have cost and declared concrete
bridges TO be the most durable and serv-
iceable under all conditions
Throughout the states of the central
west from 40 TO 20 per cent OF all the
highway funds collected arc expended for
the construction and maintenance OF
bridges and eulverts," MIR. Gearhart
said Tho amount expended for new
bridges and culverts on new sites is very
small. so that practically all OF these
expenditures should properly be charged
TO maintenance.
Cost OF RFenewaI Heavy.
The constant drain on the public funds
for renewing wood floors and stringers
and bridges built OF light steel Is very
great, and the flood damage 20 these
temporary structures IL enormous The
damage TO Kaw river bridges in 1903 was
H,5oo.coo. The indirect losses due to In
reference with traffic and the clay in
marketing crops cannot be estimated.
but are obviously very great. In tho
past twelve years Kansas has sustained
a loss on highway bridges alone conser-
vstiveiy estimated at SSoOo,oco."
The steel highway bridges introduced
about thirty years ago and 80 generally
used today are inadequate and dangerous
Mr.. Gearhart said and the material used
and the method of handling tho work Is
II anything. becoming more defective.
As an example he told OF a steel bridge
built over the Kaw river in 1900 at
cost of $4,000. Since the bridge has
been damaged three times and has been
closed four years out of that time, cost
ing altoGether SSs.O 900 when an original
outlay of $4,000 would have built a
bridge that would have withstood any
OF the floods experienced In that time.
As an example Mr.. Gearhart told of n
low water reinforced concrete slab bridge
of his design. built at Ashland. Kan. In
1910 This bridge" Mr.. Gearhart said.
has been under ten to twelve feet of
water five or six times during the past
five years. and It has not been injured
in the slightest. THE actual cost OF this
bridge was Sl.12O A hight steel bridge
would have cost not less than $500.
First Cost slightly Higher.
ITO reduce the highway bridge expen-
ditures a better system OF financing
should be provided to meet the higher
first cost of permanent structures. The
extra expense. however. will not average
to 80 per cent moro than the price now
paid for temporary structures. The plans
and specifications should be prepared by
expert engineers employed by and rep
resenting the public, and not some special
interests, and they should be approved
by the state highway department and
the work carried on under the direct
supervision OF some competent engineer
"Since tho bridges and culverts must
be maintained II the roads are to bC
used at all, and since they can be made
permanent. why not build them righ
and do II now7'