El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-09-20
RAILROAD CROSSING PROBLEM NOT
OF EARLY SOLUTION

IL PASo desires 70 cooperate with the railroads. and it
Il also expects the railroads to cooperate with Fl Paso.
The grade crossing nuisance in the heart Of the city has
been ntoierabs for good many years, and yet It has
been tolerated and il hasn't proved entirely fatal The
1a that the present arrangement Is satisfactory to the
Ioao ana they have not yet been brought TO see how
they benefit theH-eiTss to extent ate
with the cost they their tracks The railroads 20
blocking the streets at all hours Of the day and night
hol ing up foot and vehicle traffic. incommodng th1us-lds
Of citizens and delaying commerce. but what Is it to them7
Aside rom the small cost Of mar1ung gates watch
men electric bells, the delays incident to slow passage
through the heart Of the city, the railroads bear share
Of the burden and 1t is strange that they should be
backward about p-2posi1- different arrangement.
Nevertheless the problem is very real to the people
Of FL Paso and it must be faced Nothing is gained by
merely deu0uncng the railroads II must be remembered
that The Southern Pacs present tracks when they were
laid 20 years ago the outskirts Of the city
body believed then that the city and especially the business
section going spread so far northWard The South
western should have been permitted to build through
the heart OF ne o; the city was bluted into giving
mission and is sorry now, but the railroad sorry too
and would not do the thing if it had to do
Not attitude Of sutagons, but the spirit Of candid
discussion and cooperation should prevail While the rail-
roads may not immediate profit IN making the de-
sired change the indirect gains would be great and It is
probable that practical plan devised the railroads
VII be disposed to go far they to realize it. IN
the interest Of the entire community and therefore Of the
railroads.
The proposal made some years ago to sink the South
western tracks and them jointly, without abandoning
the tracks Main street, solution at all Il has
many points its dsfavor that the people voted down
the plan No plan to sink the tracks either Of the pres
eut TghtsofEay worth considering, for there too
many objections wfh certainly valid and probably not
possible to remove.
The railroads have strong objections to going around
along the river They object account Of first cost and
added cost Of operation. From the cts standpoint any
plan Of that kind would be Of little unless the streets
cleared Fl Paso does not want grade crossings down
there either and does not want the streets to Juarez
closed.
It has been proposed that the railroads might be taken
south First street, to Sixth Seventh and
run through the city elevated structure
Somewhere IN that ueighborhO0d lies the solution
There would be little no ughtofway to buy. There
would marked change in the status Of property IN
the vicinity There would be important increase n cost
OF operation The first cost Of making the change and the
improvements is about the only thing to consider.
The land occupied BY the railroads N the heart Of
the city would be immensely valuable if turned into ordinary
business locations L IS not likely that any insurount-
able obstacle exists to such changed use; certainly change
so important to the entire community would not be de-
feated By some technicahty.
The sale Of this land would pay most Of the rst cost
Of the proposed change and the city would the balance
The yards and shops might eventually be removed also
TO suitable location But this need not be done
at first.
The choice Of what street is to be used might vel be
left to tha railroads themselves to figure out taking al
factors into account ANY street from First to Seventh
would probably be approved by the citizens and By the city
council Any damage 10 property would ha' to be assumed
By the city but It not likely that courts would impose
heavy ne on tie city for bsnsng itself so greatly NO
property along the rghtofay would be put ont OF use
OF greatly affected for present uses As SAID above, ms
plan would require elevated structure to clear an streets
through the main part Of town
Later the plan woud be extended to provide for the