The Siftings Herald

Paving in Dist. 4 Near Completion

CONTRACTOR WILL FINISH THE SIXTY-FIVE BLOCKS JOB AUGUST 1.

The Phoenix Construction Company of Fort Smith, contractors for Paving District No. 4 of this city, will finish the paving of concrete here about August 1, unless weather conditions keep them from working and too much time is lost.

After the completion of Caddo street the company will move down to the south end of Sixth street where the work has been held up on account of the retaining wall that was built. When these two streets are completed it will finish the job as far as District No.4 is concerned.

However, the Missouri Pacific railroad has awarded the contract to Phoenix Construction Company for paving around the depot, approximately 2690 square yards, which, included the continuation of Fifth street back of the depot from Laurel street to the water tank, and also the parking space on each side of the building up to the brick curbing on the platform.

This contract was awarded to the Phoenix company after an engineer of the Missouri Pacific company had come to the city and observed the class of work being done on No. 4. This representative of the railroad was so pleased with the character of the work being done that he immediately turned the engineering part of the job over to Frank Gerig, engineer of District No. 4, and a contract was closed with the paving company later. The paving will be the same class of re-inforced concrete that is being used on the city district.

Tenth street will be opened Monday, according to Engineer Gerig, and Pine street on Thursday, which will in a great way relieve the traffic congestion that is being routed the Abraham yard at the end of the district on Caddo street, and will give a nearer opening for traffic on highway No. 51 to Hot Springs and points north without having to go to west end and cut back in Tenth as is now being done.

After the completion of Caddo street and the railroad job it will be necessary for the streets just recently completed to be cured for 21 days before the traffic is turned on them. Before the district is turned over to the commissioners the contractors will remove all the dirt from the pavement and also remove excessive dirt and smooth the space between the curb of the concrete pavement and the walks and also pour asphalt on the center seams running down the middle of the streets, so as to protect the corners of two sections and to waterproof the joints. The contractor has the option of two methods to remove the dirt from the pavement, either wash it off with water or sweep it. Both methods produce the desired results of the engineer.

The method of curing the concrete on District No. 4 here has attracted a great deal of attention by both the engineers and inspectors of the Portland Cement Association, and by the engineers of the Missouri Pacific railroad. They express themselves as highly pleased with the results obtained by curing the concrete by using dirt as a protection.