The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-07
.KENDRICK CITES
 HIS OBJECTIONS
(Continued From Page t5.

| Many persons refer to the under passes as stuffy and dark. They would be no more so than the underpass at Morris avenue and Twenty-first street. agree that viaduct should be con- structed at Twenty-fourth street, but not according to the present plans which among other objectionable fea- lures, provide for six per cent grades on the approaches.
 General Sibert's objections to under passes are: D ;3-st
 1. Grade crossings are maintained at Powell avenue and Avenue "A". 2. Speeding up of vehicles in the underpass in order to make the grade on the south approach. .& 8. The building of a masonry wall II feet high across Twentieth street, thus marking the view along Twentieth street. 4. Expense. ra 5. Difficulties in operating service tracks on Morris avenue and on Powell avenue. f5:
 | 6. Grades imposed on L. & N. serv- ice tracks, one and one-fourth per cent, and greater on Southern service tacks. q. Prevents future separation of grades at Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Sev- enteenth streets. .. /
 Replies To Gen. Sibert
 1. have lived on the South High lands eight years and travelled Twen- tieth. street on an average of at least twice a day. cannot recall ever be- ing delayed by trains crossing Twen- tieth street at either Powell avenue or Avenue "A"; although undoubtedly such delays do occur. but the traffic is so light at these crossings that the city has never required watchman to be maintained at either, Should the interference become great enough, the city, by odinance, could restrict train service at these cossings, since the serv- ice IS local, to the time, say from mid night to five or six o'clock a. m.
 2. Why would there be more like lihood of speeding in the subway to. ne- gotiate the three or four per cent grade on the subway approach, than on Twen- tieth street to cluimb the six per cent grades, proposed by him on the viaduct approaches? =
 3. A bridge across Twentieth street Il feet high (should be approximately IA feet high) is anything but asmasonry wall and could be made very ornamen- tai, in fact monumental arch, if suf- ficient funds were available, certainly it would be an excellent location for an illuminated Welcome Sign" A mar row viaduct 9 feet high along the center of the street would obstruct the view much more and greatly mar the appearance of all buildings between First avenue and Avenue "B.'
 4. believe that the cost of the via duct and the consequential damages would far exceed those of the under pass. 5. Properly designed underpasses will interfere very little, if any, with the convenient operation of the tracks on either Morris avenue or Powell ave nue, while the viaduct plans would nec- essitate the abandonment of the very important track on Morris avenue be- tween Eighteenth and Nineteenth streets.
 7 6. Objection to the use of one and one-fourth per cent grades or greater on side tracks is not well founded. There is probably (with one exception) not a railway system entering Birming- ham that has not now or originally had main line grades of one and one-half per cent or greater. I am told that some branch railways in the district use as high as three per cent.
 z. As to the effect of underpass up- on the future separation of grades on 18th, 16th and 17th street, my under standing of the law is that if the railroads own the right of way between 14th street and 24th street they have the right to make such use of it as they see fit by constructing tracks OH such grades as they desire. raising tracks, lowering tracks, building depots, machine shops, coahng stations, etc. : so long as they do not create public nuisance, without interference from the City; except at street crossing where consent of the city is necessary befor } any alterations or extensions can be made. The City has the right to re- quite grade separation at all street crossings, either in whole or in part: where public safety so demauds and prescribe the reasonable methods of making such separation. but her author ity does not extend beyond the street limits. So all discussion of the ar engagement of tracks or the grades to be used, by other than railway officials. is out of place. Naturally the City before adopting a grade separation plan should thoroughly study it's effect on the railway layout and service, and CO., operate as far as possible with the rail way officials.
 Grades and Clearances.
 So far, in all my studies of this grades of six-tenths of one per cent On the main lines, and overhead clear ances of 22 feet have been used. Gen eral Sibert. according to his Viaduct plans on file in the City Engineers office, and his published statement, con- templates the use on main lines of one per cent grades and only twenty feet overhead clearance; if such arrange ment is satisfactory to the railway off cials the entire underpass project can be carried out at very greatly re- duced cost. l'. To return to the separation of grades at 18th, 18th, and 17th streets. If it is finally determined that these streets, or any of them, are legally open streets, the railways could be required to re- store them to their original surfaces across their rights of way. There is, however, one other complication which I have not heard mentioned. All of these streets were closed between Powell Avenue and Avenue "A" by an act of the Legislation, approved October 6, 1903.
 I do not agree that this is not the time to discuss streets grades, when grades are being fixed for all future times.
 The business and manufacturing dis tricts and most of the residential sec tions of Birmingham are now connected by Highways with comparatively light grades. recall that tC1 years ago