Street Work Stalls as Tacoma Runs Out of Horses
While city contractors scramble for sewer work, a curious equine shortage has brought local street grading to a complete standstill.
All contractors are eager for sewer jobs, but no one wants to do grading of streets in Tacoma now. There were 11 bids received today on a sewer job and not one on a street grading proposition. This is because of a shortage of horses. In district 644 for grading South Yakima and Fifty-sixth Street, no bid was received. The Lister Construction company took the grading job on North Twenty-fifth, but it includes sidewalks and they were the only bidders on that. They took the work at $6,872. The estimate was $5,998.
“This is because of a shortage of horses.”
In 1909, the city was literally powered by horsepower; today's infrastructure delays are caused by supply chain issues and labor shortages, but the reliance on private contractors to build the city remains a constant theme in Tacoma's growth.
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