| £ | |
| Granite-built streets, per mile ten yards wide | 11,000 |
| Macadamized streets, per street mile | 4,400 |
| Wood „ „ | 9,680 |
Or, as a total for the entire streets and roads of London,—
| £ | |
| Relaying 400 miles of granite-built streets, at 11,000l. per mile | 4,400,000 |
| Relaying 1350 miles of macadamized streets, at 4400l. per mile | 5,940,000 |
| Relaying five miles of wood-built streets, at 9680l. | 48,400 |
| £10,388,400 |
But the above refers only to the road, and besides this, there is, as a gentleman to whom I am much indebted for valuable information on the subject, reminds me, the foot paving, granite curb, and granite channel not included. The usual price for paving is 8d. per foot superficial, when laid—granite curb 1s. 7d. per foot run, and granite channel 12s. per square yard.
“Now, presuming that three-fourths of the roads,” says my informant, “have paved footpaths on each side at an average width of six feet exclusive of curb, and that one-half of the macadamized roads have granite channels on each side, and that one-third of all the roads have granite curb on each side; these items for 400 miles of granite road, 1350 macadamized, and 5 miles of wood—together 1755 miles—will therefore amount to
| £ | s. | d. | |
| Three-fourths of 1755 miles of streets paved on each side, six feet wide, at 8d. per foot superficial | 2,779,392 | 0 | 0 |
| One-half of 1350 miles of macadamized roads with one foot of granite channel on each side, at 12s. per yard square | 458,537 | 4 | 5 |
| One-third of 1755 miles of road with granite curb on each side, at 1s. 7d. per foot run | 489,060 | 0 | 0 |
| 3,726,989 | 4 | 5 | |
| Cost of constructing 1755 miles of roadway | 10,388,400 | 0 | 0 |
| Total cost of constructing the streets of London | £14,115,389 | 4 | 5 |
“Accordingly the original cost of the metropolitan pavements exceeds fourteen millions sterling, and, calculating that this requires renewal every five years, the gross annual expenditure will be at the rate of 2,500,000l. per annum, which, added to 1,822,500l., gives 4,322,500l., or upwards of four millions and a quarter sterling for the entire annual cost of the London roadways.
“From rather extensive experience,” adds my informant, “in building operations, and consequently in making and paying for roads, I am of opinion that the amount I have shown is under rather than above the actual cost.
“In a great many parts of the metropolis the roads are made by the servants of a body of Commissioners appointed for the purpose; and from dear-bought experience I can say they are a public nuisance, and would earnestly caution speculating builders against taking building ground or erecting houses in any place where the roads are under their control. The Commissioners are generally old retired tradesmen, and have very little to occupy their attention, and are often quite ignorant of their duties; I have reason to believe, too, that some of them even use their little authority to gratify their dislike to some poor builder in their district, by meddling and quibbling, and while that is going on the houses which have been erected can neither be let nor sold; so that as the bills given for the materials keep running, the builder, when they fall due, is ruined, for his creditors will not take his unlet houses for their debts, and no one else will purchase them until let, for none will rent them without proper accesses. I feel certain that in those parts where the roads are made by Commissioners three times more builders, in proportion to their number, get into difficulties than in the districts where they are permitted to make the roads themselves.”
The paved ways and roads of London, then, it appears, cost in round numbers 10,000,000l. sterling, and require nearly 2,000,000l. to be expended upon them annually for repairs.