Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-09
CITY'S STREET
REPAIRING COST
78CENTS YARD
Lynch Reports on Splendid Re-
suits Obtained at Munich
pal Plant
COVERED 4S,451.53 YARDS
Unusually Fine Showing Made
in Streets and Improvements
Bureau
COVERED 4S,451.53 YARDS

Despite the astonishing increase of
approximately 20 per cent. in the
cost of materials, Harrisburg, under
the supervision of City Commissioner
w. II. Lynch repaired during 1916,
just 4S,451.5S square yards of paved
streets at an average cost of but rs
cents per yard.
That item stands out pre-eminently
in the annual report for the past year
of the Department of Streets and Pub
lie Improvements which was submit
ted to-day by Commissioner Lynch
to Council.
The unusually low cost of street
repair work, accomplished with the
city's asphalt repair plant, is espe-
cially interesting to the taxpayers of
the city in view of these two facts:
Looking Ahead
Just year before the asphalt
plant was placed in commission, Har-
risburg laid out $4,000 good dollars
to a private repair contractor - who
did a little more than 5000 yards of
repair work. And that, during n year
when the price of labor and material
was not anything like the present
figure.
Then, too, Harrisburg will begin
during the coming year to do lot
streets. About $4,000 has been pro-
vided for the coming year - a start
on the job that is intended to cover
the entire city.
The Rc-Surfacing Job
This work, according to Mr.. Lynch
will be started as early in the ve"- as
possible, Just where he will begin
he isn't ready TO say except lnjt. ,.le
business section will naturally receive
the earliest consideration. Market
street is in sad need of re-surfacing,
so are sections of Third, Chestnut and
even Fourth. Besides the $4,000
allotted for re-surfacing, $4,000 has
been set aside for repair work.
Since the Department of Streets
and Public Improvements was created
no more complete report of the bur-
eau's operations was ever submitted
to Council than the summarized
statement of the work accomplished
together with big blue-printed pages
of statistics.
The Isle of Safety
The detailed account of the conduct
OF the asphalt repair plant a new
departure by the way is especially
interesting. All the reports and sta
tistics were compiled by Chief Clerk
Joseph w. Ibach.
While Commissioner Lynch touches
upon the street paving, grading, sewer,
repair work, street cleaning, new
building, public improvement and
other operations, he also mentions
briefly the condition of the only i'm
provement authorized by the fourth
Improvement loan which is still
pending. This is the isle of safety and
public comfort station in Market
Square for which $4,000 was
voted. On this subject Com
missioner Lynch says: "Of the
public improvements authorized
by the fourth loan, only the
building of the isle of safety and pub
is pending. This matter has been
referred to the City Planning Commits
sion for recommendations"
Making Our Own Repairs
In discussing the street depairs,
City Commissioner Lynch SAYS:
There were 4S,451.53 square yards
or asphalt streets repaired during the
year at cost of 41,397.25. A num-
Der OF streets were in deplorable
condition, nearly worn out IncIud-
ed IN this was that section of South
street, from the east side of Front to
the west side of Second street, which
was completely re-surfaced. l desire
at this time to call your attention to
the fact that the 5-year guarantee on
~ sections OF paved streets expired
during the year and some provision
VIII have to be made in the near fl-
ture to have them properly cared
for. The price of all materials od-
Vanced during the year approximately
20 per cent. For instance asphait
that was bought in 1915 under CON
tract for $l2.21 per ton was advanced
under contract to $17.37 per ton. The
cost to the city for maintenance work
during the year, including interest on
money invested and depreciation of as
phait plant was seventy-eight cents
per square yard"
Mr. Lynch's Big Program
During the year Commissioner
Lynch constructed 20 sewers com
prlsing mileage of IT at a cost of
$23,6lO.2S; graded eight highways. a
mileage OF 81, at cost of $4,257.5O
ana paved l5 sections of highway. a
total mileage of 1877 or total yardage
of 20,594.4. running Harrisbure,s
grand total mileage of paved streets
to 76.167 square miles. These addi-
tional fifteen streets during 1915 were
paved at a cost of s32,772.1O.
! Other work of the department in
cluded:
More improvements
Construction of 35 new inIets
inlets were rebuilt, one man-hoIe was
rebuilt and nine street crossings were
put down; one new auto-truck was
purchased and another will likely be
bought in the near future; the ad-
ulioh Vi d street sweeper and Sprink-
ler combined, and another sweener
increasing efficiency of this end ~
the work; the Philadelphia and
Reading bridge at Thirteenth street
the Pennsy bridge at Dock street and
the eity's section of the Market street
subway were repainted; 2-storv
prick warehouse and office building
was erected at the municipal asphalt
plant and the construction in the near
tuture OF another addition will mate
rally increase the storage facilities.
eOz permits for openings in highways
| for conduit, steam, gas. water and
sewer connections, and III permits
Tor electric light, telephone and teIe-
graph poles were issued.
Creek, Dam and Disposal Plants
PUBLIC Improvement work complet-
| ed included, Paxton creek invert at
state street at a cost of $9S6.12: plac-
ing concrete slabs on dam at cost of
S462.ss; street, from Cameron to