The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-10-16
TO WIDEN THE PERRYvILLE
BRIDGE
New Roadway Will Permit Two
Trucks To Pass

/ Trucks To Pass
Governor Richie announces that
the Perryville toll bridge is to be
widened to nineteen or twenty feet
giving room for two trucks to pass
The expense, which is estimated at
about 100000, is to be paid for
from the tolls, and no appropriation
Twill have to be made by the State.
The Governor said it was believed
that it would postpone the final
payment for the bridge only about
one year.
81 have had conference with
John N. Mackall, the State Roads
Engineer, on the widening OF the
Perryville- Havre de Grace bridge
over the Susquehanna river" the
Governor said. 1.-THE roadway OF
this bridge is barely thirteen feet
wide. This is sufficient for two
cars to pass each other but not sui
ficient for two trucks to pass, or
even for a car and one truck to
pass. In the interest of both safety
and convenience it is most advisable
to widen the roadway by at least
six feet, and Mr.. Mackall and | nave
decided that the State will be justi
fed in paying for this work out OF
the tolls collected.
"The act providing for the pur-
chase of the bridge requires the
bridge to be toll free when it has
been paid for The total cost was
about S5S5,000. The gross tolls
collected during the fiscal year just
closed were $205,000 and the net
was S1S6000. 1t is expected that
the tolls will be sufficient to com
plete the payment for the bridge not
later than January /, 1927, and
perhaps before.
"The cost of the widening will not
exceed about 100000, so that the
collection of the tolls for one adj
ditional year, or until about jan
uary 1, 1928, will pay for it. That
will enable Mr.. Mackall to begin the
work next winter and to complete
it very much sooner than could
otherwise be possible, because no
other general bridge funds could be
used for this purpose in quite a
long time.
SIN addition to that, when the
bridge is widened, an annual ex-
pense of about $4,000 will be saved
the State. This sum is paid now tc
about ten men who are employed
because of the narrowness of the
bridge in order to direct traffic
But with the bridge widened to nine
teen or twenty feet, these men can
be dispensed with. Twelve thous
and dollars is four per cent on
100000, SO that the item is quite
a considerable one"
The Perryville- Havre de Grace
bridge, sometimes called the gold
mine bridge" was originally the
bridge of the, Pennsylvania Rail-
road, but number of years ago the
railroad company announced that
the increasing weight of locomotives
and cars demanded a stronger struc-
Iture, and new one was erected
lust to the north. The railroad COM
pany offered the old bridge to Cecil
and Hartford counties, to be main
tanned as a vehicular way. Both
counties refused to accept the gift.
The late Murray Vandiver, State
Treasurer at that time, organized a
company, to which the bridge was
given. The company expended con-
siderable money in putting floor in
the bridge and constructing ap-
proaches, but just about that time
automobiles began to come into gen.
eral use and the 81 toll charged for
them caused money to flow into the
treasury so that the structure which
had been regarded as something of
a white elephant, proved a source
of large profit. The toll afterward
was reduced to SO cents, but the
constantly increasing number of
motor cars kept the receipts high
1t was bought by the State in 1922
by authority of bill introduced in
the Legislature by Willard E.
Tydings, then Senator from Hartford
county, now Representative in Con-
gress from the Second district.
While the purchase price was in
cluded in one of the State bond issues
it was arranged that the principal
and interest of the bonds were to be
paid from the tolls, and the States
financial officers say these will be
sufficient to redeem the bonds sew
eral years sooner than was expected
Governor Richie explained that
tolls could not be used for improve
ments after the bridge was paid for
because at that time tolls auto
matically will cease.