The Penn's Grove record., 1923-11-30
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 Orawbridses.

sustained by automobile owners
through traffic delays a. 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 s
motor vehicle =. 8 cents 4 minute ant
upwards CSsak c1ts sum IS i basis.
the Highway BN&-3 : directing a
study y .As records preserved BY Els
sex and EGESs@ cC12.isS On the
amounr y .ss sAS-aG ~ the two
~drawbrgGseS evs- - H&cSsaS2ek and
PasSAic rivers u sEs Lincoln High
way. t. rs-- .zs passage Of yes
sells il ass essa rr1c& ch3t trafic is
blocked = 9e- gent - ne time.
The greater interruption occurs a.
the Passaic rive c-eiSs Tabulations
extending ever : rear show that in
S65 days the time lost represents FL,
4S6 hours Tor 6.-t- openings Of the
draw. At ) cents ! minute this
amounts TO s6+.4J+. Capitalized at 5
per cent a year an investment Of 81,
2SS. 0S5 is represented.
In one year at the Haekensack river
1850 hours were lost by stalled veh!,
cles through the draw being opened
3.579 times. On a valuation Of 5 cents
a minute the time consumed is equal
to S21,4S0, or a capitalized possible in
vestment of S429.605.
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 6 and Z at night, when 1,2O4
machines were checked. The lowest
total was recorded between s and z 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 8
and 10 o'clock at night, and the aver
g road traffic for that hour was 425
vehicles. The minimum for draw
turns, 81, was recorded for the year
between 2 and 8 o'clock in the morn
Ing. The road travel for that hour
was 1913 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, 3S2, between 10 and II at
night, and the yehicular road travel
in the same hour was $50. The mini
mum for draw turns was four and
was recorded between 3 and 4 o'clock
in the morning, when the road TRAITS
averaged 122 vehicles. The most min
utes, 165, were lost at this draw be.
tween 2 and 8 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 ~ 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 Z June, with 257 vessels
passing through. and on the Hacken-
sack IN April. with 385 vessels.
Assuming that yehicular and river
traffic will both double within the next
few years, a 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 ne sccuriues were
in this State on Octobee l, 1922. Rich
ard P. Whitley of Washington, n of
the executors, informed the board hat
the decision was evidently based on a
misapprehension of fact. That the
securities were actually in a 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 a 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
frmed the assessment of S91 600 on
securities Of the estate of the late
Mary N. Shepard o South Orange Vii
lage. Through a misrepresentation of
facts the board had previously can.
celled the entire assessment.
Several points Of law are involved
in the case. It was agreed between
counsel last spring that whichever
side won before the State Board an