The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-06
BOULEVARD SYSTEM EXTENDING ID ALL
 SUBURBS OF CITY,
 PLAN OF OFFICIALS.
City Commissioners Confer With Pratt City Citizens in Reference to Paved Highway-COunty En- gineer Tells of Road
 Projects

Birminghams board of city commits sioners, the city engineer and citizens of Pratt City were in conference yesterday morning in Pratt City about the pro- posed development of main artery of traffic between the two communities.
 The object in view is the construction of well paved and lighted, wide boule- ward that will be capable of handling all traffic for some years to come.
 The request for the conference came from the Pratt City people to Commis- sioner J. Ellis Brown, asking that he in- vite the other commissioners of Birming- ham and the city engineer, Julian ken drick, to confer with them.
 All of the commissioners and the city engineer were in attendance. While they were in Pratt City the Birmingham ot- ficials were requested to inspect tho pro posed change in the "Tidewater car line. There are two sides to the proposed change in Pratt City; some want the present loop to remain, while the others advocate the installation of " III handling the car service there.
 After their return to Birmingham the commissioners held special meeting and discussed both subjects at some length. Action on the matter was deferred uhtl. such time as Commissioner Brown anu the city engineer compile a report
 BOULEVARD SYSTEM
 However. there was no dissenting voice to the boulevard proposition. And whiie they were talking about it, the proposl- ton was made and received with ap- proval that Birmingham take up wiun the other big centers of the district the proposition of creating boulevard SNs~ tenn extending from the heart oi DIT mingham to Ensley, Pratt City, Besse- mer, Wylam, Fairfield and any DIE co'i- munity of the district.
 Pratt City men were in the city haii yesterday afternoon securing petition blanks concerning paving, which they have circulated in tho districts ettecteo'
 Civ Engineer Kendriek says the propo- sition fits in splendidly with the worh now going forward in conjunction wl,h the Jefferson county authorities resarulils E the construction of the north ana soull' east and west finely paved roads that will bisect Birmingham from the county limits. , County Engineer Batson spent an hout in conference with the city engineer yes ferday about the continuation of seVeral of the main city streets on out thfous ; inc county to the county limits as paNeu roadways Work is now well under way with several of them. the paVlns peihs i nituminous material for surfacing on concrete foundation.
 For the first time there will be aVall able for this work sufficient funds t' 1 have if we'll done With county stau and federal aid it is estimated that ther' will be available within the next rev @ years d total of something like $i9''"'V0' mart of which is now being put to use:
 MT. Batson stated that at present tn county has 350 miles of chert roads, l'zo
 miles of more or less improved dirt ioau and twenty-six miles of fine surtaee' | roads under construction. It is the ain
 of the county to construct POO miles
 paved roads within the next three years
 This year a paved street will be car ried through from Birmingham to fra' l City. A second paved street will be aope' to the service of this nature from BIT mingham to Ensley. The work Will U paid. for by the abutting property owners the city. county. state and national gov ernment