The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-22
CITY OFFICIALS
ARE COMPILING
]: REPLY TO RAILS
iA14 ~VA
Realty Values Proving
Stumbling Block To
Progress In Project


Answer to. the adverse criticism BY
the railroads of the plans compiled b,
the municipal and railway engineers
for a system of underpasses to relieve
street traffic congestion in Birming
ham at Railroad avenue intersections
was being compiled by the street de
!, .partment Friday, Commissioner W. E
q Dickson stated.
The commissioner said it would take
I several days to compile the explanatory
and other data to be contained in the
> reply, but he expected to have il
ready early next week.
In their conference with the city
the high officials of the L. & n. and
the Southern railways severally and
adversely criticised the plans as pre-
scented, and filed with the. city a copy
of their objections to the proposed
plans. The city's answer to the roads
objection is an automatic procedure
but none are sanguine about the re.
suits of this "rebuttal.'
Relations Bettered.
Divergence between the main parties
Mt interest has a financial base as
troublesome as the difference of opinion
about the desirahility of raising the
grade of the railroads to let street
erafflc' pass under..
:. Diplomatic relations were not sever
ed by the conference, were not even
strained. In fact the main point gain
ed. so far. officials say, is the acquisi.
ton of direct contact for interested
discussion. The railroads are said to
be thinking about the relief for street
traffic in Birmingham at the points
named as seriously as the city officials
An influence that has percolated in
20 the situation and which, some say,
must have had A. serious bearing on
the stand taken by the railroads, is
the adverse attitude against under
passes assumed by group of influ-
entail Birmingham men, some of whom
have been honored with city offices,
because of the consequent decrease in
adjacent realty values to the neighbor-
hood where it has been proposed to
raise the railroad tracks.
Just as vigorously, another group OF
interested property owners are against
the construction of viaducts because
their raised approaches will debate an
even greater amount of realty valua-
tions, and at that, on the most i'm
portant streets of the city.
City Officials "SOld."
Municipal authorities are practically
"sold' on the underpass project for
streets from Twentieth street west.
Having set their minds on definite
object they are not interested in en-
Pertaining a switch from that plan.
especially as it has been recommended
by series of city engineers and its
advisability confirmed by special en-
gineers employed for consultation.
Hill Ferguson, local realtor, asked
what many city officials consider a
pertinent question, Friday morning,
when he compared the underpass mat
ter with another such project in the
Birmingham district:
1T it will pay" he put it, ''the
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad
company to expend several million dol
lars to fill in a private ore line rail-
road to haul raw material, why should
there be such a Juror about a million
or so dollars spent in underpass rail
road construction in the city, when
the cost will be distributed among a
group of railroads and the city, with
great saving and benefit to all parties
concerned?"
Crossing the valley from the noun
tain side ore mines to the mills in
Ensley and Fairfield, the T. G. l. is
making great fills for an airline ore
railroad. The grading, it is said, will
cost several million dollars. The work
is being done by and for the T. G. L
This private enterprise is said to show
a cost estimate exceeding the total out
lay for proposed underpass system in
Birmingham