Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-11-26
TALK REACHES CLIMAX
GOVERNING POWERS AGREE TO
CONSTRUCT NEW BRIDGE.
Inter County Span Across Willamette
River at Salem Promises to Be
Both Modern and Model

Polk and Marion counties will con-
struct an inter-county bridge across
the Willamette river at Salem, the
cost of which will be approximately
5000 900, and work on the same will
be inaugurated as early next spring
as practicable. The county OF POLK
will paw one-third of the necessary ex-
pense, and Marion two-thirds. Folk
county will include a portion OF the
cost of the structure in the 1916 bud
get and the remainder in the l9lI
budget, thus making it possible under
the law to build the bridge, which is,
after an exhaustive investigation OK
the condition of the present span,
deemed a necessity.
This much was decided upon at q
Joint session of the Polk and Marion
courts at Salem last Tuesday after
noon, at which Judge John 3. Teal,
Commissioners Wells and Becketv,
Roadmaster Finn, and several other
interested citizens of this county were
present. Engineers Holmes and Sad
dler of the state highway commission
were also in attendance. and gave the
courts such information concerning
the defunct structure and the propos-
ed new one as they had at command.
1t is probable that the new bridge
will be of reinforced concrete, both
the courts and the engineers being in
favor of such construction from the
point of economy. Engineer Saddler
read nine estimates, in all cases the
designs providing for a load repre-
sented by a twenty-ton truck, a fif-
teen-ton roller or forty-ton interur-
ban car. The estimates range from
$124,0O0 to $235,000.' The most ex.
pensive plans call for single car
track to be included. In the minds
of members of the courts there is
still doubt whether this will be fea-
ture of the bridge.
The estimates read by the engineer,
with the exception of the first, were
for steel construction. Only two call
ed for a car track. They were as
follows: Thirty-two foot roadway.
concrete structure, two five-foot con
crete sidewalks, a single car track,
$235,000; thirty-two foot roadway,
steel, concrete approach, two concrete
walks, single car track, $685. 1000 \
thirty-two foot roadway, timber ap-
proach, two concrete walks, $179, 900;
thirty-foot roadway, concrete ap-
proach, $187 900; thirty-foot roadway,
timber approach, $4,000; twenty
two foot roadway, concrete approach,
$150,000; twenty-five foot roadway
timber approach, $128,000; twenty
two foot roadway, plank floor, $124,-
900.
There is every argument in favor of
concrete structure, and it is be-
lieved that this character of construc-
tion will be adopted by the powers
that be. 1t would be permanent, and
no painting would be required, while
with steel structure paint would
have to be spread every five years to
preserve it. The location of the bridge
was not decided upon at the meeting.
that being left for future considera-
ton. If the bridge were built on the
present site, and beneath the present
structure, the old bridge would be
found useful in the work, it is said.
Three sites are under consideration
the present one, one a. block further
down the river, and the third higher
upstream.
On Wednesday afternoon the two
courts met again in Salem, when it
was decided to advertise for bids for
the proposed bridge. The contractors
will be asked to submit plans and
specifications for both steel and con-
'rete construction, and from the plans
submitted will be decided the type
of bridge that is to span the river be-
tween the two count;as