The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-22
STAIRS GOOD ROADS
Third Annual Report Of,
Commissioner Henry
|. Budd is In
teresting.
A MILLION EXPENDED
A Stone Highway Proposed from
Jersey City to Atlantic City
Oyer 300 Miles
Already Built.
OVER A MILLION EXPENDED
Special to the Jersey Catu Nescs.

Special to the Jersey Cify Ncscs.
TRENTON, Jan. q. 1Ss7.-The third an
nual report of Henry +. Rudd, Commits
sioner Of Public Roads for New Jersey.
was handed to the Legislature this week.
1t shows how the work Of road building
has progressed during the year 1896. The
report says that the State aid law has
stimulated the property holders of many
counties in New Jersey to spend hum
dreds of thousands Of dollars upon their
The result is shown in the possession of
many improved highways connecting our
principal towns and cities.
Under this law the State paid, in 1892,
s2o,6s1.s IS: in 1898, 81, 2s7.z2 in 1894, s74,-
$685. SO; in 1895, 800, 900; in 1886, 500. 600; it's
appropriation for 1887 is 800, 900, making
a total Of 1896, sos 10. which, added to the
amount which counties and individuals
are required to spend to obtain the State
appropriation, aggregates in six years,
for permanent roads in New Jersey, over
81, 400, 0G0, making a total of about 500 miles
constructed and contracted for under the
State law. Many more miles are applied
for, and petitions for other roads are be-
ing constantly filed, showing the demand
for good roads to be SO great that people
are willing to subject themselves to in
creased taxation, necessary to meet the
requirements of the State Aid law.
For the year 1897, on account of many
miles in the lower portion of the State
being of cheap construction (of gravel,
bog ore and oyster shells, the mileage
contracted for will be somewhere in the
neighborhood of 100 miles, double that of
any previous year, BY June of 1887 there
will be a continuous improved highway
from Atlantic City to and through Cam
den. to Burlington and Mount Holly.
Links are being constructed which will
form a continuous chain from Atlantic
City through Camden, Mount Holly, CO.
lumbus, B~ordentown. Trenton, Prince
ton, New Brunswick, Elizabeth and New
ark to Jersey City; other roads already
built, and building, serving as feeders to
this great highway, and ranch to the
outlying towns and cities.
Nearly all the cities and own Of any
Importance now have improved roads di-
verging in many directions through the
surrounding country. These improved
highways give new life to the country
through which they pass, as they are
often thronged with bicycles and other
vehicles, which. easily and pIeasurably,
carry their weight of freight and passen-
gers to and from the leading trade cen
tres.
In the early history of the road law.
Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer
and Middlesex counties were the only APP
p~licants for State aid; now Atlantic, Es-
sex, Morris, Monmouth, Passaic, Somer-
C-1z~ 1..r+to hax,1 koao a1dad
to the ever increasing list, making the
share of the appropriation for each too
small for the wants of their e~nterprising
citizens.
Atlantic county in 1896 and 1897 opens
a new era in our Dad building; she pre-
sents the first road in the State. ON
structed under the State aid law. out of
other material than stone. Twenty
two miles of gravel are being built from
Absecon to Hammonton.
Camden county is also to build twelve
mouth county is building a road of bog
ore four miles long. Salem county is
building a road of oyster shells three
miles long.
Burlington county is building a road of
stone two n a half miles long, with Stag
foundation.
The remaining portion of the 100 miles
will be of rnacadam and stone ~construc-
tion.
In a description of the roads improved
during the year the following information
is given regarding the roads improved in
This road extends from the village of
Pennington to the borough of HopeWen,
through a fine farming country, which is
alternately red Shale and sandy loam.
This roadway has been Of expensive con-
struction on account of deep cuts through
tough shale rock and heavy filling over
meadows bordering on rapid streams;
fills and oxnanGiva bridges were nGcQS-
sary to raise the roadbed above vent
the floods that so quickly rise in this
hilly section.
This road il IA feet wide, and is most
ly of a telford foundation; telford eight
inches thick. mt cadam six to eight inches
deep over the surface of the telford,
where the road has been graded over the
rock, 10 nch of macadam has been
spread. On account of the latitude all
lowed the contractor by. n Board OF
two to four Inches more Of stone than
the traffic of the county absolutely me-
cessitates. It, of course, will have more
Judgment, eight inches Of macadam and
ten inches of telford would have been
sufficient.
The maximum grade has been reduced
from 1G to b&per cent.
The cost Of the road will be $45, $40. 70.
This road, When completed, will be part
Ct the system extending from the city Of
well to the Somerset county lire, where
it will meet the improved roads of that
county. giving the farmers communities
ton with the cities and markets in
either direction. 1t is four and one-half
This is a continuation Of the Treaton
a Wen improved farming district, over
sandy loam, boulder and Shale SOILS, and
is four and -three-quarters miles long.
tween the growing educational centres of
LaWrencevile and Princeton, and VIII,