El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-01-22
WITH 40 MILES Of PAVED STREETS
FL PAS0 STARTS NEW PAVING ERA
Extensive Paving Work Is Inaugurated by the City in the
Closing Days of 1915 Which viii Continue Through
out This Year; Paving Work of Piedras Street One
of New Undertakings; Sewerage to Be Extended

T Under the Lea administration plan
of paving. which eliminates the
city as the collector OF paving
assessments from property owners and
has done away with the Relating paw
ing plan, FL Paso has entered upon
the greatest era of street improvement
in its history.
The rotating paving fund plan. in
I agurated by a previous administration,
was excellent and resulted in vast
amount OF paving. The estimates were
paid to the paving contractors by the
city, which in turn collected from the
property owner. The chief difficulty
was that. if collections were poor, the
fund became low and paving work had
10 be halted Shortly after mayor Tom
Lea took office he succeeded in secur-
ing the consent Of one paving con-
tractor to assume the responsibility Of
collecting from property owners al
in the city is being done under this
plan The city. Of course, pays for the
paving Of street intersections. but II IS
stated that there is little danger OF the
city's funds being exhausted and that
the amount Of paving done rests en-
tirely with the property owner.
The food Of petitions for paving
work that have come in during the
past several months indicate that the
people Of the city generally are faV-
orable to street Improvements. The
attitude Of the people is further shown.
Dy the fact that there are very Few
unpaved sections left by the paving
contractors because certain property
owners refused to sign for paving.
This fact has been a source Of gratifi-
cation TO the present administration
and has been the cause Of favorable
comment by mayor Lea and other mem
bers Of the administration
More Than 90 Miles of Paving.
At the beginning of 1915 there were
$3.50 miles of paving in the city. At
the end Of the year this had been in
creased by 81 miles, making the total
amount Of paving 40.76 miles. The i'm
prOFements OF the year represented
cost of s153. 957-25- The work included
the paving Of Texas street. from Cot
ton avenue 10 Alameda avenue, a dis
lance OF 1850 feet, at cost OF S42.-
1885, Grant avenue, between Cotton
avenue and MagOffin avenue. at a cost
OF S11,S27-46. Cincinnati street and side
streets, in Kern Place. costing S26.6S0;
Florence street. between Missouri and
Hill street. at a cost of S19.326.S4,
TrOwbridge street, between Stevens
avenue and Madison street. at a cost
OF Sl5,530.34; California street. between
Mesa avenue and Los Angeles street,
at cost OF $685. East Nevada street.
between St Nrain and Wright streets !
costing Sl6.S92; Newman street. be- /
tween Montana and Nevada streets, at l
a cost OF S7,1SS-7S; Randolph street. be
tween West Boulevard and Prospect /
avenue, at cost Of s2,794; and Circle /
street, between Nevada and California I
streets, at a cost Of S1,525-4i Some /
other paving work was doDs in out !
lying additions. aid probably one mile /
OF paving can be adGvd to the figures /
OF the city engineers office.
There is large amount OF paving I
work that has beer authorized but has /
not been started Some Of this work /
has been contracted for and work is I
under way, while on some has merely I
oeen authorized and estimates are now /
being made
Piedras Paving Under Way.
The paving Of Piedras street has {
been contracted for and work now is 4
n progress This street Is 20 be paved I
rom MagOffin avenue to Bliss street,
/ distance Of u blocks The esti-
mated cost of this work is s62.012.62.
The completion of this work will make
/ connection between the districts
lorth of the tracks and Texas street
md Magoffin avenue, and viii result
n the diversion of much traffic from I
Montana and other paved streets north
f the G. II. & 5. A tracks.
Work is Just starting on the paving
4 Prospect avenue. from Epson ave-
rue to West Boulevard, a distance OF
TX blocks. Work is also under way
n Blaeker street, which is TO De paved
rom Mesa avenue to Ange street a {
distance of eight blocks.
Paving Authorized.
Work already authorized and to he ]
one during the present year include I
he following streets;
West Nevada street. between Oregon I
nd Los Angeles streets-three blocks,
East Rio Grande street. between
iagnolia and Piedras streets-five |
locks, or 1850 feet.
Stevens avenue, between the c. H. &
A reservation and Franklin canal ,
our blocks. or 1880 feet
Federal street. between Kentucky
nd Louisiana ayenues-3-two blocks, or !
40 feet Is
south Kansas street. between First :
nd Eighth streets-seven blocks, or :
80 feet. Z
East Rio Grande street, between !
eWman street and Cotton avenue !
X blocks, or 1920 feet. '
East Boulevard, between Cotton ave- :
ne and Piedras street-10 blocks. or :
700 feet
Oregon street, between Arizona and Y
lift streets-four blocks or 144O feet
South st. Nrain street, between San .
ntonio and Fourth streets-ffre l
locks or 1900 feet.
Chihuahua street, between Improve Z
ent district No. / and Second street II
70 blocks, or 720 feet u
South Campbell street, between I'm ;
'ovement District No. ] and Fourth | =
reet-three and one-half blocks or y
so feet. q
Erie street, between Cotton avenue 4
ID Ohio street-One block. or 400 feet ! =
Cotton avenue, between Montana and | \.