Chapter VII: Part II: Main Thoroughfares (3)

In the absence of complete and accurate information as to grades and distances throughout these two routes, it is impossible to say which is to be preferred. If, upon further study on the basis of reliable topographical data, it should develop that a materially better gradient can be secured by the longer route, that line would be the more desirable. But if the saving in gradient should prove to be very slight, perhaps not more than a third or a half of one percent, it is believed that the shorter route, that via Climax Street, should be adopted.

76. _Arlington Avenue and Washington Avenue Connection._--Arlington Avenue is the direct road east from the junction of Washington Avenue and the Brownsville Road, but between this point and South Eighteenth Street it has two bad gradients, 7 per cent and over. To get a good cross-town connection without such gradients and at the same time to give better access to the Mount Oliver incline, Washington Avenue should be widened east from the Knoxville incline to Amanda Street,[21] and thence cut through on a curve to the corner of Angelo and Mount Oliver Streets. By widening Mount Oliver and Freeland Streets, by rounding off the east corner of Amanda and Freeland Streets and by cutting back the southwest corner of Freeland and South Eighteenth Streets, a nearly level, though somewhat circuitous, connection can be secured between Washington Avenue on the west and Arlington Avenue on the east.

77. _South Eighteenth Street._--Plans have been proposed, by the Bureau of Surveys, to widen, pave and otherwise improve South Eighteenth Street from the South Side up the hill to Arlington Avenue. The gradient, which is now about 7 per cent, cannot be improved without very radical and costly changes in the street location; and since the proposed South Hills tunnel will reach, on easy gradients, practically all the hilltop territory now served by South Eighteenth Street, the trouble and cost of materially reducing the South Eighteenth Street gradient seems hardly justified.

The plans of the Bureau of Surveys propose a roadway width of 40 feet with two sidewalks each 10 feet wide in some places and in others 7½ feet. This means a widening of from 5 to 20 feet. As this entire section of South Eighteenth Street is on a hillside mostly steeper than one in three, such widening will require from 2 to 7 feet of additional retaining wall, or excessive cutting and filling, which means large damage to property in the vicinity. Furthermore, the adjacent hillsides are so steep that no extensive development of abutting property is likely to take place.

In consideration of all these points it is urged that a width of not less than 45 feet nor more than 50 feet be adopted in the improvement plans. This will give a roadway 35 feet and one sidewalk 10 feet or more in width.

78. _Brownsville Road._--The Brownsville Road, climbing the hill from Carson Street, is similarly situated. Any improvements which may be contemplated therein should be governed by the same considerations as those cited above in connection with South Eighteenth Street.

79. _South Tenth Street._--From the south end of the Tenth Street bridge to Muriel Street, South Tenth Street is cramped down to a total width of 45 feet, with a roadway only 26½ feet wide, because of a freight area 10 or 12 feet wide next to the Oliver Iron and Steel Company building. This area should be covered and the street widened.

80. _Twenty-Second Street Bridge Approach--South Side._--The approach from East Carson Street to the Twenty-second Street bridge is cramped and crooked. The corner from the bridge into Wharton Street should be rounded back and an additional approach should be run along the east side of the playground. Some additional playground space can be secured by closing Sidney Street, between South Twenty-second Street and South Twenty-third Street, except for pedestrians. (Diagram No. 12.)

Several other changes in the outlying thoroughfares are marked in red on the accompanying plan but are not specifically noted in this report. They are suggested changes to improve certain steep gradients but have not been thoroughly studied on the ground.

SUBJECT INDEX TO OUTLYING THOROUGHFARE
IMPROVEMENTS

SECTION PAGE

Allegheny River Boulevard 61 79

Ardmore Thoroughfare 42 73

Arlington Avenue and Washington Avenue Connection 76 85

Aspinwall Bridge 10 59

Batavia Street 33 71

Bates Run Connection 15 63

Baum Street Improvement 20 65

Beechview Thoroughfare 73_a_ 83

Beechwood Boulevard Connection 28 68

Beechwood Boulevard Re-alignment 31 70

Bell Avenue Extension 41 73

Boundary Street Improvement 29 69

Braddock Avenue--Northerly End 36 72

Braddock Avenue Viaduct 37 72

Brighton Road Viaduct 53 76

Brownsville Road 78 86

Butler Street Improvement 8 59

California Avenue and Brighton Road Extension 52 75

Carrick Connection from the South Hills Tunnel 75 84

Carson Street 64 79

Center Avenue Improvement 21 65

Chartiers Avenue Grade Crossing 65 80

Corliss Street 67 80

Crafton-Carnegie Connection 69 81

Crafton Hillside Thoroughfare 68 81

Dravosburg and Mifflin Township Thoroughfare 47 74

Duquesne Bridge 51 75

East Ohio Street 57 77

East Street 54 76

Eighth Avenue Branch to Dravosburg 50 75

Eighth Avenue Branch Westward 49 75

Eighth Avenue Improvement 48 75

Ellsworth Avenue Extension 13 62

Etna Improvement 59 78

Fairhaven County Road 74 84

Fifth Avenue--Center Avenue Connection at Soho 12 61

Forbes Street Extension 39 72

Forbes Street--Fifth Avenue Connection at Soho 11 60

Forty-third Street Bridge 6 59

Glenwood Bridge 19 64

Greenfield and Squirrel Hill Extension 17 64

Greenfield Avenue Connection 16 64

Greensburg Pike 44 74

Greensburg Pike South of Turtle Creek 45 74

Haights Run Bridge 9 59

Haights Run Thoroughfare 25 67

Hamilton Avenue Extension 22 65

Hazelwood Grade Crossing 18 64

Lang Avenue Connection 73_c_ 83

Larimer Avenue Extension 24 66

Lowry's Lane 56 77

Main Street Grade Crossing 62 79

Meadow Street Connections 26 68

Millvale Thoroughfare 58 78

Monongahela Hillside Thoroughfare 14 62

Murray Avenue Extension 30 69

Negley Run Boulevard 23 66

Penn-Liberty Connection at Howley Street 5 58

Rankin Improvement 38 72

Sassafras Street Outlet 4 58

Sawmill Run Hillside Thoroughfare 73_d_ 83

Sawmill Run Thoroughfare 71 81

Second Avenue Extension 32 70

Sharpsburg Bridge 7 59

Sixteenth Street Bridge 1 56

South Eighteenth Street 77 85

Southern Avenue Connection 72_b_ 82

South Tenth Street 79 86

Squaw Run Thoroughfare 63 79

Stanton Avenue Connection to the Lincoln District 27 68

Streets Run 46 74

Sycamore Street Grade Crossing and Bridge Street Improvement 60 78

Thirty-third Street Improvement 3 57

Troy Hill Road 55 77

Twenty-eighth Street Grade Crossings 2 57

Twenty-second Street Bridge Approach--South Side 80 86

Washington Avenue Improvement 72_a_ 82

Washington Road 70 81

West Broadway Extension 73_b_ 83

Wilkinsburg-Edgewood Connection 35 71

Wilkinsburg Grade Crossings 34 71

Wilkins Township Thoroughfares 43 73

Wind Gap Road 66 80

Woodstock Avenue Extension 40 73

NUMBER INDEX TO OUTLYING THOROUGHFARE
IMPROVEMENTS

SECTION PAGE

1 Sixteenth Street Bridge 56

2 Twenty-eighth Street Grade Crossings 57

3 Thirty-third Street Improvement 57

4 Sassafras Street Outlet 58

5 Penn-Liberty Connection at Howley Street 58

6 Forty-third Street Bridge 59

7 Sharpsburg Bridge 59

8 Butler Street Improvement 59

9 Haights Run Bridge 59

10 Aspinwall Bridge 59

11 Forbes Street--Fifth Avenue Connection at Soho 60

12 Fifth Avenue--Center Avenue Connection at Soho 61

13 Ellsworth Avenue Extension 62

14 Monongahela Hillside Thoroughfare 62

15 Bates Run Connection 63

16 Greenfield Avenue Connection 64

17 Greenfield and Squirrel Hill Extension 64

18 Hazelwood Grade Crossing 64

19 Glenwood Bridge 64

20 Baum Street Improvement 65

21 Center Avenue Improvement 65

22 Hamilton Avenue Extension 65

23 Negley Run Boulevard 66

24 Larimer Avenue Extension 66

25 Haights Run Thoroughfare 67

26 Meadow Street Connections 68

27 Stanton Avenue Connection to the Lincoln District 68

28 Beechwood Boulevard Connection 68

29 Boundary Street Improvement 69

30 Murray Avenue Extension 69

31 Beechwood Boulevard Re-alignment 70

32 Second Avenue Extension 70

33 Batavia Street 71

34 Wilkinsburg Grade Crossings 71

35 Wilkinsburg-Edgewood Connection 71

36 Braddock Avenue--Northerly End 72

37 Braddock Avenue Viaduct 72

38 Rankin Improvement 72

39 Forbes Street Extension 72

40 Woodstock Avenue Extension 73

41 Bell Avenue Extension 73

42 Ardmore Thoroughfare 73

43 Wilkins Township Thoroughfares 73

44 Greensburg Pike 74

45 Greensburg Pike South of Turtle Creek 74

46 Streets Run 74

47 Dravosburg and Mifflin Township Thoroughfare 74

48 Eighth Avenue Improvement 75

49 Eighth Avenue Branch Westward 75

50 Eighth Avenue Branch to Dravosburg 75

51 Duquesne Bridge 75

52 California Avenue and Brighton Road Extension 75

53 Brighton Road Viaduct 76

54 East Street 76

55 Troy Hill Road 77

56 Lowry's Lane 77

57 East Ohio Street 77

58 Millvale Thoroughfare 78

59 Etna Improvement 78

60 Sycamore Street Grade Crossing and Bridge Street Improvement 78

61 Allegheny River Boulevard 79

62 Main Street Grade Crossing 79

63 Squaw Run Thoroughfare 79

64 Carson Street 79

65 Chartiers Avenue Grade Crossing 80

66 Wind Gap Road 80

67 Corliss Street 80

68 Crafton Hillside Thoroughfare 81

69 Crafton-Carnegie Connection 81

70 Washington Road 81

71 Sawmill Run Thoroughfare 81

72_a_ Washington Avenue Improvement 82

72_b_ Southern Avenue Connection 82

73_a_ Beechview Thoroughfare 83

73_b_ West Broadway Extension 83

73_c_ Lang Avenue Connection 83

73_d_ Sawmill Run Hillside Thoroughfare 83

74 Fairhaven County Road 84

75 Carrick Connection from the South Hills Tunnel 84

76 Arlington Avenue and Washington Avenue Connection 85

77 South Eighteenth Street 85

78 Brownsville Road 86

79 South Tenth Street 86

80 Twenty-second Street Bridge Approach--South Side 86

+--------------------------------------+
| LOCATION MAP FOR 80 IMPROVEMENTS IN |
| THE OUTLYING THOROUGHFARES |
| |
| (ATTACHED OPPOSITE THIS PAGE 92) |
+--------------------------------------+

FOOTNOTES:

[5] English street cars are narrower than American cars.

[6] Dr. Stübben's "Der Stadtebau," pp. 69 and 622.

[7] "AN ACT.--Defining the line of Chestnut Street in the City of Philadelphia. Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it is thereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the south line of Chestnut Street, between the rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, shall be at the distance of (539) five hundred and thirty-nine feet southward of the south side of Market Street: Provided, That this act shall not interfere with any buildings now erected on the south side of Chestnut Street. Approved the twenty-eighth day of April, Anno Domini 1870.

"AN ORDINANCE.--To provide for the widening of Chestnut Street on the City Plan: Section 1. The Select and Common Council of the city of Philadelphia do ordain that the Department of Surveys be and is hereby authorized to revise the City plan so as to make Chestnut Street from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River of the width of sixty (60) feet, widening equally on both sides from the old center line. Section 2. After confirmation and establishment of said lines it shall not be lawful for any owner or builder to erect any new building or to rebuild or alter the front of any building now erected, without making it recede so as to conform to the lines established for a width of sixty (60) feet. Approved the thirty-first day of March, A. D. 1884.

SAMUEL G. KING, Mayor of Philadelphia."

[8] Act of December 20, 1871, Pamphlet Laws of 1872, p. 1390; and Act of May 16, 1891.

[9] Public Statutes, Sec. 2261 m.

[10] Methods of widening are fully discussed on pages 37 to 42.

[11] Map at the end of Part II.

[12] See Part V, Special Report on the Allegheny River Bridges.

[13] See Part V, Special Report on the Allegheny River Bridges.

[14] See Part IV Section 1, page 117.

[15] This improvement is provided for in the current bond issue.

[16] See Part IV, Section 15, page 121.

[17] Part IV, Section 8, page 119.

[18] This improvement is provided for in the current bond issue.

[19] Part IV, Section 7, page 119.

[20] Part IV, Section 7, page 119.

[21] Improvement to this point is provided in the current bond issue.