USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1915 > Part 19
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Broadway .
40
1,018
March 26
Waldo avenue
2
Beacon street
Dimick street
40
277
December 31
Ware street
7
Curtis street
Russell road .
40
749
April 25
West Adams street
7
Conwell avenue .
Medford line
40
710
December 31
Whitfield road
7
Packard avenue .
Curtis street .
40
687
December 31
Total .
(1.350 miles)
...
7,129
Length of Public Streets in Each Ward.
Miles.
Ward one
10.028
Ward two
9.188
Ward three
7.587
Ward four
9.912
Ward five
12.119
Ward six
13.339
Ward seven
19.422
Total length of public streets in the city .
81.595
A number of streets have been changed and plans made, showing a re-numbering of the buildings, and all old num- bering plans revised, new houses plotted, and numbers as- signed.
Some of the old main thoroughfares should be re-num- bered throughout the entire length. so as to eliminate half numbers and letters now being used, as many of these old streets have outgrown their original numbering.
There are many streets, avenues, courts, and places in the city of the same or very similar name, which should be changed to prevent the confusion now existing.
During the year 1915 approximately $105,000 were spent in construction work on the improvement of city streets and about $35,100 in the construction of new sidewalks (exclu- sive of maintenance).
This construction work was carried on jointly by the Engineering department and the Highway department, thirty-five per cent. of the new street construction work be- ing done by contract, and sixty-five per cent. by the city highway department, day labor.
272
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Sixty-two per cent. of the new granolithic sidewalks were constructed by contract, and thirty-eight per cent. by the city highway department, day labor.
The contractors were James H. Fannon, Somerville, and Charles A. Kelley, Somerville, for street construction work and Denis I. Crimmings, Somerville, for sidewalk work.
Eight hundred and thirteen square yards vitrified brick pavement (concrete base) have been laid in Davis square and Horace street, a total length of 250 feet, by contract, at a cost of $2.65 per square yard complete.
Thirteen thousand six hundred and one square yards bituminous macadam pavement (concrete base) have been constructed in Broadway, south side (Powder House square to Teele square), in Willow avenue (Appleton street to Broadway) and in Washington street (Beacon street to Dane street), a total length of 3,531 feet, at a contract price of $1.47 per square yard complete.
Two thousand two hundred and twenty-five square yards of this kind of pavement, a length of 750 feet, was con- structed in a portion of Walnut street by the city highway department, day labor.
Middlesex avenue has been constructed by the state highway commission with a concrete wearing surface, the city of Somerville paying a portion of the cost.
The total length of permanent paved streets in the city amounts to fourteen miles.
Nineteen new streets have been constructed, under the betterment act, with a bituminous wearing surface, concrete gutters and granite curbstone, a total length of 9,480 feet; seven being done by contract and twelve by day labor.
The average cost of this type of construction for a forty- foot street complete, by contract was $4.42 per linear foot, and by the city highway department, day labor, $5.50 per linear foot.
The total street betterment assessments amounted to $22,415.00.
Fourteen streets were constructed by the city highway department by day labor, a total length of 9,267 feet, at a cost of $28,333.94.
Thirteen thousand nine hundred and ninety square yards of granolithic sidewalk, a total length of 3.34 miles, were constructed by contract during the year at an average cost of $1.34 per square yard and eight thousand six hundred and twenty-four square yards of granolithic sidewalk, a total length of 2.26 miles, were constructed by the city highway department at an average cost of $1.46 per square yard.
Lines and grades have been given for setting 20,055 linear feet (3.798 miles) of new edgestone, 257 square yards
273
CITY ENGINEER.
of new brick sidewalks, 22,614 square yards (5.60 miles) of granolithic sidewalks and measurements taken for comput- ing assessments; 0.16 of a mile of edgestone has been reset and in addition to this 0.409 mile of granolithic sidewalk has been laid on private streets by property owners.
The total sidewalk betterment assessments amounted to $17,100.00.
In connection with setting edgestones 1,790 square yards of new concrete gutters have been laid by contract for $1.55 per square yard, and 2,092 square yards have been laid by the city highway department, by day labor, at an average cost of $2.60 per square yard.
A number of driveways and crossings have been con- structed, all requiring lines, grades, and measurements.
(See tables for cost of new work, 1915, and total lengths of sidewalks constructed in the city to date.)
The average cost for the year has been as follows :-
For setting edgestone with gravel sidewalk by highway department For setting edgestone with gravel sidewalk by contract . ·
Laying brick sidewalk, complete ·
by Laying granolithic sidewalk, complete, highway department
Laying granolithic sidewalk, complete, by contract (including one year guarantee) And the cost of materials furnished by contract :- Edgestone (straight) delivered at work Edgestone (circle) delivered at work
Bricks delivered at work
Cement (Portland) on cars
Sand and gravel on cars
Trap-rock delivered on work .
$1.06 per linear foot 0.81 per linear foot 1.39. per square yard
1.46 per square yard
1.34 per square yard
0.55 per lincar foot 0.73 per linear foot 14.00 per M. 1.00 per barrel (net) 0.70 per cubic yard (average) 1.45 per ton (aver- age)
From a comparison of the cost of constructing new streets, sidewalks, etc., by day labor and by contract for.a number of years past, it would seem advisable to do by con- tract all new work, where approximately one-half of the total cost of construction is assessed on abutting property owners, and thereby making the assessments, as levied, more uniform throughout the city.
In sections of the city where brick sidewalks have been laid many years, and must necessarily be relaid on account of deterioration and unevenness, granolithic should be sub- stituted in the place of brick.
274
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Miles of Edgestone, Granolithic and Brick Sidewalks in Each Ward.
Edgestone.
Gravel Sidewalk.
Brick Sidewalk.
Granolithic Sidewalk.
Ward one
18.432
4.149
12.093
3.498
Ward two
16.039
6.824
6.744
2.534
Ward three
14.205
1.380
11.572
1.253
Ward four
14.999
1.659
9.993
3.361
Ward five
22.003
5.822
12.194
4.175
Ward six
24.296
4.997
10.678
9.570
Ward seven
28.727
4.201
8.464
17.455
138.701
29.032
71.738
41.846
Table of Street Construction.
Square Yards.
Miles.
*Streets paved with granite blocks .
102,521
4.33
** Streets paved with concrete
43,714
2.24
Streets paved with asphalt
10,410
0.73
Streets paved with vitrified brick
17,981
0.92
Streets paved with bitulithic (patent)
14,689
0.88
Combination pavement (concrete base with bituminous top)
76,393
4.89
+Streets macadamized ("tarvia" bound) .
·
25.59
Streets macadamized (water bound)
40.87
Streets graveled or unimproved
19.55
Total
100.00
*Also 31.9 miles (single track) electric railway paved with granite, asphalt, bitulithic, etc.
** Includes 0.44 miles state highway.
tIncludes 1.897 miles of city boulevard and park roadways and 1.397 miles of state boulevard (Metropolitan Park Commission).
The city has been put to a considerable extra expense on account of an act passed by the state legislature, approved May 5, 1915, relative to Municipal Liens for public improve- ments, as follows :-
"No municipal lien shall attach to any real estate in con- sequence of any order of a municipal board or other authority for the construction of a street, sewer or sidewalk until the work shall have been completed and an assessment levied within one year thereafter, for the benefits con- ferred upon the various parcels of land benefited by the improvement. The assessment shall be levied upon the parcels of land benefited by the improvement, as they existed on the first day of April next preceding the com- pletion of the work. The assessment shall describe by metes and bounds each parcel assessed and shall state the names of the owners of record at the time of the assessment, if the names can reasonably be ascertained; otherwise the as- sessment may be made to owners unknown. The order of assessment, together with a plan showing in detail the lots assessed, if recorded in the registry of deeds for the county and district wherein the land lies within thirty days after the date of assessment, shall create a lien on the land, which
Table Showing Sidewalks Constructed (proportional part of cost assessed on abutters) in 1915
MATERIAL.
STREET
Ward.
SIDE.
FROM
To
WIDTH OF SIDEWALK IN FEET.
Вкуск.
GRANOLITHIC.
Lin. Feet. Sq. Yards.
Aberdeen road
6
Both .
Highland avenue
Cedar street
6.67
*838.7
Albion
5
Northeasterly
Lowell street
Centre street
6.67
701.0
470.1
$618.89
Aldrich .
1
Both .
Gilman street
B. & M. R.R.
6.67
136.0
169.0
261.44
Allstou
1
Both .
Cross street.
Shawmut street .
and 5.0
§ 11.00
185.7
163.5
264.32
Belknap
Both .
Broadway
Hamilton road
6.67
*920.9
Belmont place
6
Both .
Belmont street
End
5.00
*352.3
Bristol road
Both .
Broadway .
Medford edgestone
7.00
*184.7
Broadway
1
Northeasterly
Austiu street
Charlestown line
15.00
8.0 ft. Gran. ¿ sod rem. width (
854.0
815.1
1,545.08
Broadway
-1
Southwesterly
Irving street
Southeasterly
11.00
68.0
65.6
85.28
Broadway
Northeasterly
Mason street
Packard avenue .
11.00
661.0
746.9
1,006.20
Broadway
7
Southwesterly
Corinthian road .
Northwesterly
11.00
87.3
92.2
148.89
Broadway
1
Northeasterly .
In front of No. 79.
sod. rem.width J
Cameron avenue
7
Westerly
Holland street
Seven Pines av. (where not laid to near Summer street
10.00 6.67
Central .
5
Northwesterly
Highland avenue
Albion street
Grass Plot
*418.1
Clyde
5
Both .
Cedar street
End
5.00
*1,316.5
Columbia
2
Both .
Webster avenue
Cambridge line
6.67
320.7
1,439.0
976.7
1,591.65
Derby
1
Both
Wheatland street
Grant street
6.67
*376.3
295.0
199.9
289.08
Electric avenue
7
Both .
Packard avenue
Curtis street (where not laid)
6.67
1,076.0
724.5
995.11
Fenwick
Both .
Heath street
6.67
554.0
368.7
486.87
Flint avenue
4
Southwest
Porter street
Conwell street
5.00}
Garfield avenue
1
Both .
Broadway .
Blakeley avenue
6.67
Gilman .
4
Northerly .
Jasper street
Walnut street
6.67
227.0
153.9
204.49
Glen
1
Southeasterly
In front of No. 152-154
6.67
40.0
27.0
47.13
Grant
1
Jaques street
Mystic avenue
6.67
807.4
537.6
682.75
Highland
3
Trull lane
Wild's estate inc.
Grass Plot
94.5
572.0
387.0
505.69
Horace
2
Both
South street
Ward street
5.00
393.0
Irving
7
Easterly
Broadway
Southerly
6.67
71.0
54.2
57.47
Kidder avenue
7
Southwesterly
In front of estate of Stevens .
Broadway
Heath street
5.00
665.0
405.9
550.74
Lexington avenue
Willow avenue
Hancock street
8.33
1,139.8
963.9
1,303.27
Lowell and Albion
Estate of Raymond
6.67
230.0
153.6
203.52
Main
5
Westerly .
In front of estates No. 45 to No. 51 inc.
6.67
132.0
87.9
137.98
Meacham road
7
Northerly and West'ly Both .
Mt. Vernon avenue
Medford line
6.67
*1,326.2
75.6
63.4
...
157.8
246.92
Myrtle
Westerly
No. 54 Estate of Money
Conwell avenue
6.67
384.9 1,457.4
1,414.0
951.8
2.801.85
Packard avenue
Both .
Broadway
10.00
1,498.0
1,515.4
1,809.89
Pearson road
Both .
Warner street
Dearborn
6.67
*2,136.6
Poplar
1
Easterly
In front of No. 3 and No. 5
5.00
84.0
41.7
57.48
Porter
Both
Summer street
Elm street .
7.50
2,264.0
1,726.0
2,441.70
Powder House Boulev'd
Northeasterly
No. 205-219 and
237-247
8.00 !
walks, on
155.0
124.6
175.86
Powder House Boulev'd
7
Easterly
North street
Northerly
8.00
890.0
890.4
1,367.16
Powder House Boulev'd
7
Southwesterly
Packard avenue.
Mason street
8.00
645.0
633.5
930.13 607.37
Powder House Boulev'd Sartwell avenue
76
Southwesterly Both.
Cedar street
Cherry street
5.83
*754.0
Shawmut
1
South westerly .
Central square
Washington street
6.67
357.0
240.0
322.73
Summer
6
Northeasterly
Cherry street
Hancock street
7.50
212.8
163.1
260.43
Summer
7
Southwesterly
Willow avenue
Cutter square
7.50
792.7
583.0
781.83
Teele avenue
7
Both .
Packard avenue
Curtis street
6.67
*1,333.8
..
685.4
464.5 445.8
610.32
Thorpe .
Both.
Highland avenue
End
Fitchburg R. R.
6.67
*1,030.9
10.00
498.6
499.4
672.51
West
Southeasterly.
Highland avenue
5.00
192.2
94.0
129.16
William
Northeasterly
College avenue .
Chandler street (where not laid) 6.67
8.33
263.7
219.8
323.56
Wilson avenue
6
Both
Highland avenue. Broadway .
B. & M. R.R.
2.75
*618.1
293.8
196.8
270.72
Yorktown
7
Both .
Malvern avenue
Cambridge line .
6.67
531.1
552.3
364.0
1,152.22
Total assessment, $17,083.17.
Net cost to city, $18,009.99,
20,054.7
75.6
256.8
29,571.0
22,613.7
$35,093.16
2
Northeast corner
Estate of Tassinari
and 5.0
Beacon
2
Northeasterly
Washington
Northwesterly
11.00
42.0
46.0
59.80
Belmont place
6
Both .
Belmont street
End
5.00
353.4
171.8
249.59
Cedar
6
North westerly
Hall street
141.8
90.7
126.90
Chester avenue
4
Northeasterly
Cross street
Angle .
6.67
1,539.0
976.5
1,456.10
Curtis
7
Northwesterly
Broadway
Sunset road (where not laid)
Eastman road
6
Easterly
Highland avenue
End
6.67
Jaques street End
6.67
*399.6
Francis and Conwell
Southeast .
Francis street
End
5.83 }
*774.4
Southerly.
7
Both .
Broadway
Fairmount avenue
6.67
101.0
68.2
86.72
Langmaid avenue and Heath
Temple street
Fisk estate .
7.50
6.67
124.0
83.2
131.06
Meacham
5
Westerly
Warren street
Northerly
8.33
Morrison avenue
Northerly
Highland road
Pearson avenue .
8.33
89.0
62.8
98.48
North
Easterly
Powder House B'l'v'd .
402.7
262.3
794.49
North
7
Westerly
Powder House B'l'v'd .
6.67
Pearl Street place
Both .
Pearl street .
2.75
*334.0
Pennsylvania avenue
Both
Wisconsin avenue
Broad way
11.50
Powder House Boulev'd
Southwesterly
Curtis street
North street
8.00 )
8.0 ft. gran.
340.0
332.3
481.49
Powder House Boulev'd
Northeasterly
Curtis street
School lot
8.00
20 ft. sidewalk with grass plots
415.3
422.7
Simpson avenue
7
Both .
Holland street
Broadway
6.67
*1,794.1
Teele avenue
Northeasterly
Packard avenue .
Curtis street
6.67
5.00
914.7
635.59
Vine
Both .
Somer ville avenue Beacon street
Dane street (where not laid) Hawthorne street
Willow avenue
6
Southeasterly
Lexington avenue
Windom
7
Northwesterly
Summer street
Elm street
6.67
340.6
229.6
312.38
Medford
26177 1 7
7
7471 4 7 1
Powder House Boulevard . End
*2,058.4
1,296.0
1,304.5
1,900.24
Both .
Flint street .
259.8
130.9
208.77
137.70
Hill
6.67
Northwesterly
South westerly Both
N. W. corner
Near Dover street
W. end of R.R. Station
abt. 7.5
Woods avenue.
..
Amount of edgestone, brick, grauolithic and tar in front of private estates. Totals . . Gravel sidewalks, 1.314 miles. Brick sidewalks, 0.803 miles. Granolithic sidewalks, 3.109 miles.
* Proportionate cost assessed under street construction.
6.67
1,496.0
932.3
1,249.84
Beacon and Concord ave.
Gran. laid in ) old grass plot Gran. 6.0 ft.
76.1
98.93
780.3
549.7
$98.46
98.9
....
Total Cost.
Gravel and Edge- stone. Lineal Feet.
Lin. Feet. Sq. Yards.
...
..
Washington
2 32277 2 7
Northerly .
No.
No. 34 to No. 48 and cor uers Leonard and Burnham . 8.00
196.0
77.36
Southeasterly
141.57
275
CITY ENGINEER.
shall remain until the assessment is paid or abated accord- ing to law.
"All acts and parts of acts inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed."
A considerable quantity of stone still remains on the two parcels of ledge property owned by the city, situated in West Somerville, that can be quarried and used for the foundation of streets, and on sidewalk work, to the city's ad- vantage. By using the stone from these two ledges and purchasing trap-rock, the city will have a sufficient supply of good road material for a number of years to come.
The policy recently adopted of permanently construct- ing the city's main thoroughfares in preference to side streets has commenced to show good results.
In a few years' time, by the continuation of permanently constructing the remaining roadways, namely, on Broadway, sections of Summer, Washington and Beacon streets, and some of the principal cross-town streets, the city will have main thoroughfares that will compare favorably with any city in the state.
Many times in the past, streets newly constructed, or where an improved pavement was laid, were torn up and ex- cavations made a short time after being built, when the changes should have been made considerably in advance of the new street construction work.
Previous notice of the city's intended street improve- ments should be given to the various departments and in- terested corporations and ample time allowed for making all extensions and repairs of underground work; and no per- mission should be granted to cut any newly constructed street, except for emergencies or under special conditions, where a sufficient sum of money, as determined by the city, is paid the city in advance for the restoration of the paving or other street surface.
An ordinance should be enacted whereby no street open- ings can be made until these conditions are complied with satisfactorily to the city.
Lines and grades have been given for laying 7,089 linear feet of new city water mains, varying in size from two inches to twelve inches in diameter. Two hundred and eight new house services, many gates, hydrants, water posts, and blow- offs have been located and recorded, sketches and plans made showing the same, and the large water-works wall maps corrected to date; also a large number of old water services where new meters were installed, have been located and recorded.
A set of block plans should be made covering the entire city area, from accurate surveys made during the past twenty-five years, and carefully compared section by section
276
ANNUAL REPORTS.
with the deed dimensions and areas recorded in the assessors' department, and in this manner the correct areas of land de- termined.
This set of plans would show the area and dimensions of each lot, all houses and other buildings, sewers, catch basins, house drains, water services, gas mains, underground con- duits for wires, street lights, street railway tracks, etc., and be of great value to many city departments. Five of these sectional plans have already been made. A separate appro- priation should be made for completing these plans.
Plans have been made and photographs taken where ac- cidents have occurred on the city work, or where boundaries were in dispute, and special plans and data prepared for the city solicitor's use in court cases and hearings.
All plans of estates in Somerville recorded at the Regis- try of Deeds, East Cambridge, including land court plans, have been copied, also titles examined, abstracts from deeds made for the purpose of assessments, and the proportional part of the cost of new work computed, and the schedules of assessments made out showing the property owners. Copies have been made of all city plans where land has been taken for highways or sewers, and these have been filed and re- corded at the Registry, East Cambridge, as required by law.
Plans have been made by the various companies and cor- porations, and filed in the city engineer's office, showing the locations of gas mains, poles, tracks and conduits in this city, which have been granted by the board of aldermen during the year; and the work of placing overhead wires in conduits underground and removing all poles from the streets should be extended as rapidly as possible.
At the present time there are underground in the city's streets 16.7 miles of telephone conduits, 9.03 miles of electric light conduits, 1.4, miles of electric railway conduits and about 9.7 miles of underground conduits used for the city's wires.
The Cambridge and Charlestown Gas Companies have extended their mains in the city's streets 1.90 miles the past year.
Heavy explosions have occurred in the city's streets from underground conduits, owned by private corporations. The city ordinances should be so changed that in the future all underground work constructed by these companies should be rigidly inspected by a competent man employed by the city, so as to eliminate, as far as possible, faulty construction.
The Boston Elevated Railway Company has made ex- tensive repairs in its roadbed in this city during the past year, replacing the old tracks with new and heavier rails. There are a number of miles of trackage in the city's main thoroughfares where the old granite block pavement, within
277
CITY ENGINEER.
the railroad location, should be relaid and grouted with Port- land cement, and additional catch basins constructed be- tween the rails to relieve the flooding of sections of certain streets in times of heavy storms.
Where. double car tracks have been laid in streets, leav- ing narrow roadways on either side, it is impossible to main- tain a macadam surface, even at a heavy expense yearly, and these streets should be permanently paved with a suitable pavement, adapted to the character of the surroundings and amount of traffic and conditions encountered.
There are 31.9 miles of electric railroad (single track location) laid at the present time in the city's streets ; and in watering the main thoroughfares, time and expense could be saved by utilizing this trackage for running a street- sprinkling car, the same as is operated in a number of cities throughout the state.
Grade Crossings Account. Statement of Expenses, 1915.
Paid for damages to property and land and buildings taken $925 00
Paid various parties for appraisal of
property, counsel fees, etc. . 1,749 45
CREDIT. $2,674 45
Received from Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston and Maine Railroad (lessee) and Boston Elevated Railway, apportionment of cost by decree of court and auditor $3,436 74
No actual construction on grade crossing abolishment in this city has been done during the past year. The special automatic pump at Medford street, installed for removing storm water from the subway under the steam railroad tracks and discharging into a city sewer at a higher eleva- tion, (this means of disposal of water being made necessary by an act of the state legislature) has not proved satisfac- tory to the city up to the present time.
Probably work will be commenced at the Park street crossing in the near future. The construction work for the elimination of these dangerous grade crossings will be con- tinued until completed as decreed by the court, and the total cost of the work as completed will be apportioned as fol- lows : the steam railroad company, sixty-five per cent .; the state twenty-five per cent., and the city ten per cent., except at the Somerville avenue and Webster avenue crossings, where the steam railroad and the city pay the same per- centage of cost as at other crossings; the state twelve and one-half per cent. and the street railway company twelve and one-half per cent.
The plans for abolishments of these crossings were described in previous annual reports, and at two streets the
278
ANNUAL REPORTS.
plan adopted is the same as proposed by the city's scheme presented to the commission; at the other three streets the plan adopted is just the reverse of the city's scheme as presented.
City Boundary Lines. In July, 1915, representatives ap- pointed from the city of Somerville and the city of Cambridge examined the bounds defining the division line between these two cities and reported their findings in due form to the board of aldermen.
These boundary lines are perambulated every five years as prescribed by the statutes.
A number of stone boundary markers, defining the divi- sion lines between Somerville-Cambridge and Somerville- Medford, are out of plumb and should be reset.
A contemplated change in the boundary line between · Somerville and Medford is under consideration by both cities, and probably an exchange of territory can be made that will be equally advantageous.
SEWER DIVISION. Construction Account. Statement of Expenses, 1915.
Constructing "separate system" sewers
(assessments levied) . system" sewers
.
$1,236 67
Constructing "combined
(assessments levied)
.
278 68
Constructing "separate system' sewers
4,488 51
Constructing storm drains .
4,889 07
Constructing catch basins
1,756 62
Constructing Middlesex avenue state high- way street drainage
1,000 00
Reconstructing sewer and building man- holes
361 77
Materials to other departments
224 95
Total expenditure
Less reserve payments on sewer contracts
(unpaid)
$14,236 27 418 03
Total debit CREDIT. .
$13,818 24
Appropriation (balance unexpended, 1914)
$13,101 41
Amounts received from other depart-
ments and accounts, materials fur- nished
224 95
Transfer from Grade Crossings Account .
500 00
Total credit
$13,826 36
Balance unexpended $8 12
The greater part of the new construction work has been done by contract, and the remainder by the city employing day labor, where old structures were to be remodeled or re-
(no assessments)
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