The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-22
DELAY CITY WORK
Late Petitions Hold Up Much
Paving in Topeka.
Labor and Material Conditions
Also a Handicap.
BUILDING TWO NEW BRIDGES
One $4,000 Structure To Be
Completed by Xmas.
MeIan Disaster Necessitated Re-
vision Construction Plans.


( Street work was delayed consider
ably this year. Commissioner W. S.
Hancock said today
! Paving petitions were received un-
til the present administration assumed
| office in May, instead of closing in
January as usual. AItho plans and
/ specifications were prepared at once
and contracts let on the work, con-
tractors already had much work ahead
I The other obstruction to rapid con-
struction, Hancock says. was trouble
( in securing labor and supplies More
Z difficulty was met with in buying sup
plies than in getting labor.
/ Typfying this trouble was the ce-
ment shortage in Topeka this week
that tied up much OF the city work.
/ It has also been difficult to secure
/ crushed rock. For this reason much
sand base work has been done on the
streets and alleys In the opinion of
I w E Baldry- city engineer, the sand
/ base is preferable to a crushed rock
as the sand gives while a rock base
tcracks.
| More has been accomplished this
year in bridge work then in paving.
| Two OF the finest bridges in Kansas
are under construction over the Shun-
ganunga at Eighth and at Fourth
streets These two bridges were de-
signed by w. E BaIdry, city engineer.
They are of the open spaniel type
with three little arches on either end
! of the main arch
T The feature OF this type of construc-
/ ton is that the water way has been
| increased almost 100 per cent The
! old bridge handled 700 square feet
The new bridge will accommodate
| 1.2S0 square feet This will eliminate
4 he a 81
surrounding territory.
/ The base of the bridge at Eighth
street rests on cement poured into deep
pits. The bases are almost as sub
stantiaI as solid rock. Nothing short
of dynamite should ever bulge it."
says Cap" Wilcox. the city's inspector
who is watching the construction
! The base Of the Fourth street bridge
/ rests on piling driven eighteen feet
/ into the ground. The concrete base
| rests on this piling 1t was found i'm
practicable to put down piIing for the
Eighth street bridge.
| Big Xmas Gift.
At Eighth street the base and main
arch have been poured The forms for
| the remainder of the structure are in
/ place. all material to complete the
| structure is on the ground, and q
month OF good working weather should
see the job com mpIeted, Hancock said
/ structure will be completed this winter
/ Topeka may get the Eighth street
I bridge as a Christmas present.
| $23. 900 gift
| Both bridges will have twenty feet
/ roadways, with two five-foot canti-
/ Ievered sidewalks. The road surface
| at Fourth will be brick. and at Eighth
street asphalt. They are constructed
| strong enough to handle any reason
able load. and will accommodate street
cars if necessary. Nathan T. Hopkins
/ is contractor
/ The Melan bridge is a story of i'm
| provements planned. and investigation
/ after the work began. disclosing con-
| dIuons of the gravest menace to public
/ fety- When the curbing on the west
/ side Of the bridge was Ioosened. part
4 of the sidewalk dropped into the river.
( Poor design, bad material, and faulty
| construction all combined to make the
/ bridge a menace, greater even for no
I one realized the condition until work
/ began.
I It was then necessary to completely
/ revise working plans for the year, to
/ give up other contemplated work so
/ that the money might be used in put
/ ting the west side of the bridge in
/ perfect shape Next year. Hancock
/ says, the other side of the bridge will
! be repaired the same way. w s Full
ton IS contractor.
Use Different Type.
All work on the west side of the
I bridge was stripped down to the orig
| inal spaniel wall and entirely rebuilt.
using a different type of construction.
/ much stronger and safer Modern re-
| inforced concrete is being used thru
out Double the originally contem-
/ plated expenditure was necessary.
| Paving has been very slow this year,
| Commissioner Hancock stated. men
| tioning the late letting of contracts as
an active deterrent This year he will
receive no paving petitions after jan
uary 10
Two new features in paving have
come up here this year. Plain con-
| crete has been used in paving alleys
in residence districts on account of
the high cost of brick. Sand bases
have been placed under paving on ac-
| count Of the iu1possfbilfty of obtain
ing rock. Much more cement is used.
/ BaIdy believes there is no better base.
There were twenty-five blocks of
| paving to handle this year, five blocks
| of base and curbing being in Curb
ing and grading has been completed
| on all work. except one block on Chan
| dIer and one on Branner-< Paving on
| Courtia1d, Seventh and Euclid will be
| finished this year. The other paving
will probably have TO wait until next
| YEAR on account of weather cOudt-