The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-15
RAILROADS SUBMIT TWO PROPOSITIONS 0N STREET WADUCT Offer to Repair Twenty First Street Structure
 or Build New One FAVOR REPAIRING
 PRESENT VIADUCT Estimated Cost of Widening and Re- pairing Bridge From $25.O0O to
 s3s,0OO, Says Commissioner
 James Weatherly

ru,o nronositions from the railroads
 were received officially yesterday aItei
 noon on the Twenty-first street vlaoucl
 bv Commissioner James Weatherly- The
 first is that the railroads are willing 10
 bear the entire cost of repairing the pres
 ept structure and the second to bear the
 cost of a new viaduct only Tn so Tar as
 if covers the property of the raiiroaos'
 The announcement of the proposiuohs
 came after a conference between w. L.
 Ma pother, vice president of the Louisville
 and Nashville railroad; H. w. Miller wee president of the Southern rallroao' A'' Seyier. general agent of the Aiapaina Great Southern railroad; W. L. Sedooh' vice president of the Seaboard Air Line railroad. and Commissioner James Weath- erly
 The proposition of the railroads on the
 Twenty first street viaduct in fuli ioi-
 lows:
 Birmingham March IA, 1916.
 .sro the Honorable Board of City Com
 missioners, Birmingham:
 "Penresentatiyes of the undersigned
 railroads have had under consideration
 for sometime the question of the bridge
 at Twenty-first street The railroads'
 being very anxious to meet the wishes or
 inc neople of the city of Birmingham in every reasonable and practicable way, desire to state their position with refer ence to this bridge.
 ..We have been advised that we are un- der no obligation either to repair or re- build the present structure at this poiht nv to furnish new structure. and that the present bridge was built ana has been maintained solely at the expense of the city.
 However in the spirit of meeting your wishes and the wishes of the people or Birmingham, we propose
 (a) That, if the city should decide to re- inforce and repair the existing structure at this point in any way enlarging It, the railroads will contribute to the clty inc entire cost of such work the Work to he done by the city in such manner as the city engineer may approve. We rec ommend this course, as we nave been ao- yised that the present structure IS ade- ouate for all practical purposes (b) If. however, the city should pre- fer to destroy the present structure land replace it with a new structure in accordance with the plans heretofore submitted to us by tine city engineer. the railroad companies, desiring to meet your wishes in this respect, would be willing, notwithstanding the very lheayv outlay and the apparent eco homie waste, to contribute to the city such sum as will equal the cost of Iconstructing that part of such new structure which will actually occupy land will lie directly over the property Iof the undersigned railroads. or course, this would be conditioned upon lthe support for the structure being so placed as not to interfere With the location of our tracks.
 In either event. a contract to be iexecuted between our companies and Ithe city setting out in detail the ex- lpress terms and conditions under which snch contribution will be made. Very Respectfully,
 Seaboard Air Line Railway. by w.. IL. Seddon, vice president. Louisville and Nashville Railroad company, by w. l. Mapother. first vice president.
 Southern Railway company, by H.. w. Miller vice president. Alabama Great Southern Railroad |vompany, by L. Sevier, general agent. In a short statement following the announcement Commissioner Weather fly said:
 If required. the roadway would be Iwidened.
 '"rhe estimated cost of remodeling and strengthening the present struc- ture, including widening, would be from $25, 900 to $38,00O, according to
 the amount and character of the Icharges required"
 From the attitude of Commissioner lWeatherly. it would seem that the via duct situation is in excellent shape and that before many weeks have elapsed lsomething of definite nature will be accomplished. Commissioner Weatherly said that he had not definitely settled as to whether the city would decide ito repair the present structure on ITwenty-first or would insist that new Iviaduct be constructed