LEVEL CROSSINGS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 79, 30 September 1933, Page 13

LEVEL CROSSINGS

WORK OF ELIMINATION

ACTIVITY IN AMERICA .

The elimination of level railway crossings is an important item in President Roosevelt's programme of work* to receive the help of the United States Government in the furtherance of his policy of providing work to increase the buying power of tho American public, aud it seems likely that it will receive a wide welcome,. The Federal ■Government is making an appropriation of 400,000,000 dollars for highways work, and this is to include the elimination of level crossings. The State of New York has already definitely decided to reconstruct eleven existing overhead bridges, once adequate for .the traffic needs of their day, but now too narrow for the roadways they serve-^the cost is estimated at about 665,000 dollars—and works contemplated in the State and New York City itself run into 5,000,000 dollars or more, quite a big bite out of the 22,500,000 dollars -which is the allocation to ]$tw York State from the Fe<te_»l uppjopriation. Three of the works are already in hand and over n dozen.hfiye been ordered to proceed. The elimination of Jevcl crossings over railways 'does not lie only with the roading authorities. The cost falls in the proportion of 50 per cent. *n the individual State, 49 per cent, on the railway, and 1 per cent, on the county in which the work is -done. 'The railways, of course, cannot be expected to view elimination work with the same kindliness-as do the users of tho highways, 'but the railways aTp included in the national undertakings the Federal Government is aiding in its recovery plans, and, in consequence,; are expected to' look more favourably eni

the provision of ramps than in the past. Under the present plans the railroad! concern will receiv-e 60 per cent, assist-! anee from the Government. ■ It must not be thought, Jiowevef, that! the elimination of crossings is a new! thing, -the result of a spasm of public, works as a measure of national Telief.j Away ;back in 1925 the State of New! York approved by public vtite of the! raising of up to 300,000,000 dollars to! finance such tasks and actually therej exist on the city and State files plans for projects that run into an expenditure pf nearly TOjQOOjOOO dollars. j It is interesting to note that the; Long Island State PaTk Commission has been giving more attention to, highway ; ,intersections than 'to railroad crossings, contending that trains offer less continuous obstacles to the flow of traffic than do intersecting - lines of motor traffic. This body has already had completed some 47 bridges over its; parkways, it has fonr such under cbn-I structio*n and proposes tp have 52. more; fcuilt. .'■".. ■;■