Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1917-02-06
STEEL OR CONCRETE.


with concrete approach on the ives
end. Little consideration was give
concrete bridge by the meeting be
cause the belief seemed to prevail
there that the erection of "a stee
bridge could be begun Immediately
whereas a concrete bridge could no
be gotten under way for some time
1t was also the belief that engineer
ing costs of steel bridge, such a.
they say they want and engineering
details Of which are now on file il
Marion county, would be dispensed
with and that a saving in engineer
ing expenses of from $15, 900 to $780,
600 could be made. This is an er-
roneous impression, however, for the
state highway department makes
charges up to 10 per cent for their
work, according to admissions to
members of the Polk county court.
Private engineers who have been
making estimates for the Polk county
court make charge of from 31s to
6 per cent for their work, which in
cludes all drawing, all supervising
and all engineering. The meeting
apparently was not aware of the fact
that the Polk county court had plans
Of a concrete structure on file that
work could go ahead on at once and
that would cost complete (high leveD
under $3.50, 900 and that such bridge
capitalized with amount added for
repairs of all kinds, etc. will total
$260,0OO in fifty years. The bridge
the West Salem meeting urges costs
$217 900 to build and will have cost
at the end of so years $298,000, ac-
cording to figures of engineers. And
this does not include an annual main
tenance fee of $4,000 for operation of
the draw, or another $150,000 in so
years. The bridge which the Polk
county court wants to build, too, will
stand forever. An additional $780,
900 will not have to be raised by our
taxpayers in anywhere from 30 to
so years to put up new structure.
The meeting at West Salem forgot
that the resolution to the Polk court
was in direct conflict with instruc-
tions from over Polk county. At bud
get meeting held here here, taxpayers
from all parts of Polk sraciously sub
mitted to the transferring of the
bridge fund and the road fund to
the inter-county bridge fund, so that
an amount large enough could be ere
ated to meet Polk S one-third of a
high level concrete bridge. % per
cent of Polk county people, in other
words gave up their road and bridge
funds for year. that the five per
cent of the people living near Salem
could have bridge. Following the
instructions of that meeting the Polk
court has stood ready and willing to
60 ahead with the wishes of Polk
taxpayers-for high level concrete
bridge. This the Observer is certain
of and we believe also that whenever
the people of the south end, the north
end. the west end and all other parts
of the county instruct the court to
go ahead with steel bridge they
will abide by such instruction and go
ahead with that kind of structure.
The meeting also failed to give con-
sideration to the financial end of the
1--WE want bridge inn
was the sentiment and
this was borne out by the statement
Of many that they did not think the
question of cost of maintenance or
repairs should be looked into at all
Some even went so far as TO say we
would want another bridge in from
30 to 80 years anyway. Many stated
that a concrete bridge could not be
built across the river three (none tell
ing just why) and no one explained
the logic of building the bridge ap-
proach of concrete and the bridge it.
self of steel.
The Observer cannot understand
why the people Of West Salem will
urge our court TO build an inferior
bridge for more money than it will
cost to put up a substantial structure
of concrete in the same length of
lime. AT home we have cement;
light at the bridge edge We have
yravel and sand for its mixing; We
an employ home labor in its con-
,truetion. If we build Of steel We
will have to send to Pittshurg for
he raw material and its fabrication
nto spans, We will have to import
killed workmen to put it up, and
yhen we get it mp We have TO keep
ontinually digging into our jeans
or maintaining it. West Salem PeO-
le know that practically all Polk
ounty people who are paying for the