Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-11
Circulation Every 1I110
Evening Yesterday III ~
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY IL, 1920
Widening Of Ninth Street.

After a conference with the official.
of the Wilmington Savings Fund Society
members of City Council evolved {
plan In respect of the proposed widening
of East Ninth street. from Market TO
h ng, by taking portion of the society
property, on the south side of the street
They made fiat offer of $4,000 dam
ages. which the society accepted.
In any consideration of this project, II
If inevitable that regret should be ex-
pressed, not unm ngled with deserved
condemnation of these who are mainly
responsible, that definite and decisive
action was not taken months ago. The
widening of Ninth street has been propos-
ed and urged for years, and it would have
been possible. BY timely action, to have
averted the imposition of heavy addition
al expenditures in carrying the project to
consummation.
Still. we believe public sentiment will
indorse this belatcd move. Ninth
street, to the east, is narrow thorough
fare, also impeded by trolley tracks. 1t
the eastern to the western section of the
city between Front street and the Brandy
wine. The traffic ii is compelled TO receive
tests its capacity severely, and this con-
dition will grow worse in time, not better,
unless the remedy of widening is resorted
To. French street, wide, of easy grade and
finely paved, is the chief north and south
thoroughfare of the eastern section, and
much of its traffic naturally diverted into
Ninth street when bound in a westerly
direction. Public interests, therefore,
are involved in making Ninth street as it
approaches Market street of sufficient
width to better accommodate this traf-
fic. already considerable and certain to
increase right along.
The cost of such an Improvement,
therefore, is not one to be imposed upon
the present generation by meeting 1T
from direct taxation. 1t will be both
businesslike and fair to meet it with the
proceeds of bond issue, to be paid even
tually by a future generation, which viii
enjoy the benefits OF the improvement to
an even greater extent than viii those Of
the present generation. The Importance
of the proposed improvement Will fully
justify the expense and this manner of
meeting it. And responsibility for the
additional cost incurred by the conditions
we have recited will bear upon those of
our city administration who permitted |
such inexcusable delay.
Furthermore, it will be well for the |
city authorities, now that the Ninth street |
widening project has practically been |
entered upon, to take into considera- |
ton, also, the propriety of widening the
street to the west, from Market to
Shipley street, on the south side, 80 as
to make the sidewalk conform to that Of
the square from Shipley to Orange. in
front of the postoffice. More than half
a century ago, Ninth street was thus WI
dened along the south side of this block,
but the public eye of that time, although
sufficiently far-sighted to foresee the
not see far enough In the future This was
not surprising, as the improvements of
today in that neighborhood, especially
the Federal building at Orange street
were not then dreamed Of. But now the
even necessitv, of widening
Ninth street from Market to Shipley will
be generally recognized. And now is the
Lime to give serious consideration to this
The longer it is delayed the
greater will be the cost when, eventually,
growing public necessity will demand this