The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-12-06
MUCH time LOST
AT DRAWBRIDGES
State Highway Commission Cal
cuIates Losses in Waits to
Cross Rivers.
SUM RISES TO BIG FIGURES
Traffic Likely to Double in Next Four
Years, and Problem Is Accumulated.
Auto Traffic Blocked 10 Per Cent
of Time at Two Drawbridges.

Trenton. = Heavy monetary losses
sustained by automobile owners
through traffic delays at river draw
bridges in New Jersey is demon
strated in calculations now being
made for the State Highway Commits
sion Economists value the time of
motor vehicle at 5 cents minute and
upwards. Using this sum as basis,
the Highway Board is directing
study OF the records preserved by Es-
sex and Hudson counties on the
amount of time wasted at the two
drawbridges over the Hackensack and
Passaic rivers on the Lincoln High
way To permit the passage Of yes
sells it has been found that traffic is
blocked 10 per cent of the time.
The greater interruption occurs at
the Passaic. river bridge. Tabulations
extending over a year show that in
365 days the time lost represents 21,-
486 hours for 6,717 openings of the
draw. At cents a minute this
amounts to $64,404 Capitalized at 5
per cent year an investment Of ST.
288,085 is represented.
In one year at the Hackensack river
7,160 hours were lost by stalled vehi
cles through the draw being opened
1879 times. On a valuation Of cents
a minute the time consumed is equal
to $21, 480, or capitalized possible in
yestment of $429,605.
Each Of these bridges is used by the
1890 vehicles passing over the Lin
coin Highway daily at that point, and
the peak Is in the hours between 10.
and II at night, when 1906 were
counted. The next nearest hour was
between and z at night, when 1904
machines were checked. The lowest
total was recorded between 6 and 7 in
the morning, when 81 vehicles passed.
The maximum number of openings
of the Passaic river draw for any one
hour was 624 for one year between
and 10 O'Clock at night, and the aver
age road traffic for that hour was 425
vehicles. The minimum for draw
turns, 81, was recorded for the year
between and 8 o'clock in the morn
ing. The road travel for that hour
was 1853 vehicles. The greatest loss
in minutes, 416, occurred between 8
and 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
On the Hackensack river bridge the
draw was opened the greatest number
of times, 1872, between 10 and IL at
night, and the vehicular road travel
in the same hour was 682. The mini
mum for draw turns was four and
was recorded between and O'Clock
in the morning, when the road traffic
averaged 122 vehicles. The most min
utes, 1855, were lost at this draw be-
tween 2 and o'clock in the after
noon.
Seventy-eight per cent of the open
ings on the Hackensack were for YES
sells requiring 40-foot clearance, but
for the Passaic River only 40 per
cent were of the height. Because of
the greater traffic on the Passaic at
present, however, the sum of vessels
with the higher masts and stacks does
not differ widely on the two rivers.
The use of the Hackensack is increas-
ing, while that of the Passaic is fall
ing off, investigators assert. The
heaviest traffic on the Passaic was
found to be in June, with 257 vessels
passing through, and on the Hacken-
sack in April, with 3S5 vessels.
Assuming that vehicular and river
traffic will both double within the next
few years, not improbable condition,
it will mean that the capitalized de-
lays will be increased four times. Tn
problem Of handling this traffic is now
receiving the consideration of the
Highway Department.
No calculations have been made as
to the enormous cost of days at the
ferries at Jersey City and Camden,
which are, perhaps, much greater; but
the tunnel and bridge. now under con-
struction, will solve the traffic prob
lem there.
Had Cancelled Assessment
In January of this year the State
Board cancelled the assessment in the
belief that none Of the securities were
in this State on October I, 1922. Rich
ard P. Whitley of Washington, one of
the executors, informed the board that
the decision was evidently based on
misapprehension of fact. That the
securities were actually in New Jer-
sey safe deposit vault on October /,
but had been removed before the first
Of the taxing year.
South Orange Village, through Mr..
Sandmeyer, asked the State Board to
open the case for reargument. This
was done with the result that ruling
has just been found against the estate.
George McCarter of the firm Of McCar-
ter & English represents the executors.
Assessment Affirmed
Reversing a previous decision, the
State Board of Taxation has just at
firmed the assessment Of $4,000 on
securities of the estate Of the late
Mary N. Shepard of South Orange vii
lage. Through misapprehension of
facts the board had previously can
celled the entire assessment