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increase with the lapse of years, but for the reasons set forth in Appendix II, this increase is not likely to be so great in relation to the natural increase of the bridge traffic as to render the comparison of the existing facts in Diagrams 1, 2 and 3 inapplicable to the future.

(c) Comparison of Bridge and River Traffic. -- To sum up, it may be said that each year the amount of traffic passing over the bridges is at least 30 times that floating on the water of the river, and about 90 times its value. The passenger traffic over the bridges is about 1800 times that on the water. The character of the traffic over the bridges is such that a given degree of interference with it is a far more serious annoyance to the public than the same degree of interference with river traffic.

Paris passenger and freight boats

2. Effect of Various Solutions. -- It remains to be considered to what degree the bridge traffic and the river traffic would he hampered or facilitated by various permanent solutions of the bridge problem. With a view to arriving at a plan as nearly ideal as the circumstances permit for a permanent arrangement of bridges over the Allegheny River, various projects have been put forward and considered. These concern two nearly independent matters, the elevation of the bridges above pool level and the location and design of the bridge piers. The former must be decided with regard to the effect upon both bridge and river

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Last modified on 22-Dec 1999
Design format: copyright 1997-1999 Bruce S. Cridlebaugh
Original document: Frederick Law Olmsted, 1910