The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-07
KENDRICN CITES OBJECTIONS TO
 SIBERT'S PLAN
Says Grades Too Steep ,. And Driyeways Are 5 Too Marrow

Julian Kendrick, for many years city engineer of Birmingham and who con :. dueted the negotiations for grade sep aration projects now existing here, finds ? serious objections to both the viaduct 2. and underpass plans now pending be- fore the city commission and Chamber of Commerce. He makes formal analysis and reply to the statement during the week by Gen. w. L. Sibert in favor of viaducts as follows:
 ss was very much interested in the published statement of Maj. Gen. w. L. Sibert, with reference to the various ]. plans suggested for solving the grade , separation problem from Fourteenth to Twenty y-four streets in .clusives Since all of the conferences have been evecu- tive, and this being the only authorita tive statement. that l have seen,. it is doubly interesting.
 While General Sibert is recognized : by all as one of the ablest engineers of {. the country,I trust he will forgive me :, for not agreeing with his opinions in toto. in this instance. a4.>
 s Three general plans are being con- sidered for grade separation at Four teenth, Eighteenth and Twentieth streets. Two by General Sibert for : eyiaducts; one calling for the depression Twentieth street, and 31a feet at :, Eighteenth street. The other for span : ming the tracks without lowering them. The third prepared by the city en- gineer, provides for undernasses and track elevation. While I think the latter plan far superior to the others proposed, I would not recommend its adoption without many revisions.
 Since it is generally understood that the, yiaduct plan embracing the depres- sion of the tracks has been rejected by the city and railways alike, I will not discuss it at this time. 1 z Second Viaduct Plan
 SThe second viaduct plan has it's ap- breaches on Twentieth street, starting : at the south line of First avenue and rising on 6 per cent grade up $50 feet, and not 1oU as o1ya Alight infer from General Sibert's published state ment; thence on, approximately, evel grades until Avenue Avis passed thence descending by a five and six terths's per cent grade to the north line of Avenue B. The driveway of the yiaduct located along the center line of Twentieth street is to be 40 feet wide ,,with sidewalks 10 feet wide along z either side of the driveway, leaving a space IS feet wide between the prop erty line and the outer edge of the viaduct side walks; 12 feet of this space being made up by sidewalk on the present street level and 8 feet being reserved for driveway. The drive way being increased to IS feet when sufficient elevation is reached to per init of driving under the @Siaduct side walk.
 Objections To RlAn
 My principal Objections3O this plan
 1. The grades are too steep for economic operation and are very dan gerous for a heavily loaded truck de scending to. a contested street intersec- tion controlled by traffic signals. g
 ?. The driveway on the viaduct is 10 feet. narrower than the driveway on the Twenty-first street viaduct (which is none too broad); although there are two street railway tracks on the Twentieth street viaduct and one on the Twenty-first street viaduct.
 3. The. grade crossings on Avenue A, and on Powell avenue are not eliminat- ed, since all the traffic to and from the adjacent Southern freight depot and yards, and most of the freight to and from the Seaboard freight depot and yard, and all the traffic to and from Powell avenue, Avenue A and from Twentieth street, between Avenue A and the railway right of way, must pass over one or both of the avenues at grade. It is no uncommon sight to see drays and trucks standing in line on Twentieth street, extending from the Southern railway freight driveway, which is north of Powell avenue, along Twentieth street to and beyond Avenue B. The narrow driveway 8 to IS feet wide provided for such traffic is en- tirely too narrow. 4+
 4. Alley A would be closed.
 B.. Direct traffic is greatly interfer- red with. A truck on North Twentieth street desiring to reach the Southern freight depot by way of the viaduct would proceed to Avenue B, but not be- ing allowed to make hairpin turn < would go around an entire block and finally reach the depot by means of the narrow driveway referred to above. The traffic to and from the south side to the Louisville and Nashville freight
 
 mately the same difficulties. Is there any wonder that the railway officials are not very enthusiastic about a via . duct at Twentieth street? Similar ob- jections to greater or less extent, oc- cur at Fourteenth and Eighteenth strets.
 6. It is necessary to abandon the house track on Morris avenue between ] Eighteenth and Nineteenth streets.
 Objections To Underpass Plan
 My principal objection to the under pass plans is the excessive depressions provided, seven feet at Twentieth street, eight feet Eighteenth street and nine 7 feet at Fourteenth street. The depres- sion at Twentieth street should not ex- ceed four feet and probably three feet. In favor of properly designed under passes are three to four per cent grades against six per cent on viaduct q driveway 60 feet wide instead of 40 feet on the viaduct. All driveways to and from tn freight depots and team
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