Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-19
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Proposition of Widening Thames
 Street.

MT. Editor: May I, through your columns, claim the attention of your readers with relation to one of the matters contained in the warning and to be acted upon at the special city meeting to be held on Friday evening. Oct. 20 I refer to the proposed au- thorization for an expenditure for the widening of Thames street.
 At the annual oity meeting last June an appropriation of $7,500 was authorized for laying a permanent pavement in Thames street from Thames square Southerly. The present city administration did not feel that the money should be expended until an effort had been made to ascertain whether or not the street could not first be widened to form a proper and safe main approach to the city from the south. It was felt that if a per- manent pavement were laid on the street as at present, the possibility of remedying the existing dangerous and highly objectionable situation which has been so much discussed for the past few years would be postponed for at least a generation.
 We accordingly first took the matter up with the state highway department. We were informed by Commissioner Bennett that while the department would not ordinarily contribute to- ward the paving of even trunk line road, in the thicllly populated part of a, city. as Thames street was one of the most dangerous pieces of road on the states trunk line system, if a satisfactory proposition were submit ted for widening the street some con- tribution might be made by the de- partment toward the paving. A sur Vey was made and a layout with a sidewalk six feet wide all the way from Thames square to the junction of ioh -f1~n q Nl1a100 CtI on the easterly side, a, roadway twenty seven feet between curbs. and a side walk six feet wide from Thames square to SsOint south of Pages lane and from there southerly, four feet wide, on the westerly side submitted. Bennett and if the n1an is carried out the state will contribute one-third of the expense of the paving. Under the statute the trolley company will have to pay one-t third, thus leaving but one third to be paid for by the city. If the widening is not carried out the state will not contribute anything.
 We then immediately set to work to ascertain the expense of acquiring the land needed for the proposed wid- Rning. With the exception of a slight projection on the east side which would be strengthened out, all of the widening would be done on the west side of the street. All of the owners of these properties have been inter- viewed and options upon the neces- sary land have been obtained from the majority of them. The expense of the necessary changing of walls, may ing of houses back. building of walks, etc, and of acquiring the land not covered by options has been carefully and definitely figured. It is determined that the total expense of the widening as thus estimated will not exceed $45,- 00O These are the figures furnished in written report by Chandler and Palmer, engineers for the city.
 It is the administrations plan to have the expense of this improvement paid off if the appropriation is au- thorized. by annual installments for, say, five or six years, in the same way in which the expense of the widening of Water street and lower Franklin street was taken care of a few years ago. It is perhaps unnecessary to dwell upon the need and advantage of carrying out this work. It will mean that in place of the present mar row roadway on one side of the troll ley track, there will be sufficient road way on both sides of the track which will then be located in the middle of the street. It will make the new Thames street at it's narrowest point three feet wider than Main street is in front of the Circulating Library.
 It did not seem to the public works committee that any money should be spent upon the Thames street pave ment until the voters of the city had passed upon the question of whether