Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1921-08-01

steel, cement and labor come down
more he probably will be prepared To-
go ahead this winter. award the con-
tract and have everything ready so
that construction work can start
early in the spring.
when plans first were prepared for
the new highway bridge the desira-
bility OF having II carry the tracks OF
the electric railroad as well as the
general highway traffic was brought
UP and tentative plans were drawn
showing how this could be worked
out. AT that time the Washington,
Baltimore and Annapolis had not alb
sorbed the Annapolis Short Line and
that line refused TO enter into any ar
rangement that would cost more than
the upkeep OF its own bridge.
Wants Legislative Approval
AT the recent conference Chairman
Mackan said that as an official, re-
sponsibIe for the management and ex-
penditures of State funds, he could
not recommend the construction of a
joint highway and railway bridge be-
cause of the additional expense that
would be incurred by the State. AT
the same time he recognized the de-
STABILITY of doing away with one OF
the bridges.
II the Legislature should approve a
Joint bridge and would define tffe
terms on which the company could
use IL he would be glad TO build that
sort OF bridge. He thought, how
ever. that as the government had in
mind a bridge OF its own, some ar
rangement might be made so that .
bridge satisfactory TO the State. Gov
eminent and railway might be con-
structed. lie thought the matter OF
government use ought 10 be inyes-
tigated very fully before any steps
wore taken TO build any bridge and
thought some contribution toward the
cost might be made by the Navy De-
partment.
Commissioners Whitman ho US h I
| that one bridge was all that was
needed. and that it would be an eco
nomic mistake to have more. The
railroad company Is maintaining and
constantly improving its bridge at an
average cost of $4,000 year. and
in this manner the bridge could be
made TO last for a great many years.
At the same time il detracts seriously
from the beauty of the river, and is
an obstruction TO navigation, and
would look uglykin contrast to fine
new steel and cSncrete' bridge Which
the Statesss&il sbuild.1 PIE Thought
some arraRgemept ought tonbe msae
to do s%as Switb ii when the State
builds. ~ SD 20 bhaoga
MIlllhgSTO Enter Plan ,l
Mr. Bishop said his company would
| be glad to enter an arrangement for
the joint use of the new highway
bridge if the terms were such as his
company could pay. He suggested a
rental of something like $4,000 a
year as about all the company could
afford.
Mr.. Mackall said q bridge for the
joint use of ordinary traffic and the
railroad. built on the site of the rail
road bridge, would cost about twice
as much as a bridge for highway traf-
fic alone, built on the site of the
States bridge So that while bridge
satisfactory to the State. built on the
States site, would cost 100000. a
bridge for both. on the roads site,
would cost $1.SOO,0OO approximately.
This. he thought, -prohibitive.
BY bringing the railroad to the
States bridge the railroad would have
to pay about 100000 for rights of
way and additional construction. he
thought. and the extra cost of the
bridge would be somewhere around
100000 making a rough total OF
100000. interest would be $4,000 a
year. and charge for amortization
over a period of about so years would
be $4,000. or a total of $4,000 a
year for the railroad This. ii is
thought, the railroad could and would
willingly stand.
One difficulty in the way would be
in getting rights of way over govern
meat property ON the Annapolis side,
but it is thought the government
might be induced by Maryland's rep
resentatives in Congress to give this
free for the sake of having one of the
bridges removed 1t also might make
4 contribution toward the cost of