The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-17
THE NEW THUNDERBoLT ROAD.
DALE AVENUE WILL COST THE
COUNTY MORE THAN $4,000.

The Commissioners Have Decided to
Build "A Twenty-FOur-FOOt Instead
of an Eighteen-FOOt Road-lts
Construction VIII Cost About
$1,000 n MiIe-GraveI for surfacing
TO Cost $1O,OO0-COnvict Labor Not
Taken Into the Estimates of Cost.
There has been much interest manifest
ed in the proposed new road to Thunder
bolt. 10 be known as Dale avenue. upon
which work has already practically be-
gun.
This is the work to which Commissioners
KehOe referred at recent meeting, when
he stated that $4,000 worth more Of Au-
gusta gravel was to be purchased for
building roads without any bids being ad
vertised for.
II was originally contemplated that the
road should cost about $500, or some
where in that neighborhood. This figure
is said to have been based on estimates
for an 1S-foot road. The other
roads built throughout the county IS
feet wide have cost on an average
between $500 and 50, 500 per mile, and it
was first thought that the cost Of the new
Thunderbolt road would be about the
out being lilo miles.
After a consideration Of the matter, how
ever, the commissioners came TO the con-
clusion that an 1s-foot road would
not answer the purpose. It was believed
that the road would be more largely used
perhaps, than any other road in the coun-
ty, and for this reason it was decided that
a A-foot road should be built.
The decision of the commissioners to
build 24-foot road has increas-
ed the cost of the work materially, ac-
cording TO the estimates that have been
made. 1t is estimated now that the build
ing of the lilo miles viii cost the county
more than $4,000. or. in other words, about
5000 per mile. OF this amount il will re-
quire about $1,000 to purchase the Au-
gusta gravel for surfacing the road, while
the balance of the $4,000 will go into the
construction of it.
These figures are about the estimates
which have been made and submitted to
the commissioners. They come from an
authoritative source but may be a few
dollars out one way or the other An eff
fort was made yesterday to get the cor
rect figures from the Office of Superintend-
ent of Public Works W. f. Chaplin but
publication, though a member of the board
had stated that the figures could be pub
lished.
In none of these estimates is the cost
of the convict labor included. A commits
sioner stated that all estimates upon road
building were made without including the
convict labor. so that the money is paid
out for the surfacing material, TOOLS etc.
The fifty convicts who were at work
cleaning out the drains on the eastern
side of the city. having run out of work
In that line, were put to work few days
ago clearing up the right of way for Dale
avenue and getting the track of the Sa-
vannah and Isle of Hope railroad in
shape for hauling out the material as
soon as It comes.
There is much more grading and leveling
to be done on this road than has been the
case on some of the other roads of the
county, and it is partly for that reason
It Is said, that the coast will be SO much
greater. The material for the new road
Is expected to arrive within a short time
and 1t is the object of the commissioners
to have its construction progress as rapi-
dly as possible.