Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-10-12
GREAT BOULEVARDS.
SIGNS SHOW THAT A NEW ERA OF
ROADS HAS BEGUN.
Splendid Highways Projected In Sew
ernI Stntes-Grand Highway Along
the Hudson-New Hampshire to Tap
the White Mountains.

a project Is DelnP u1SCuSSeQ In New |
York state to build great highway |
from New York city along the Hudson |
river to the Adirondack region. The |
highway would be continuation of .
the Riverside drive in New York city !
and would touch all the cities and vii |
lagos in the region through which it .
would pass The distance from start to
finish as the bird flies is about 400
miles, but the road would doubtless
cover at least 500 miles. If undertaken
and carried through it would form one
of the most magnificent and picturesque
highways in existence in the world
and would return vastly more than its
cost to the public and the state
The past few years have given ample
evidence that new era of roads AMI
highways has begun again. Before the
advent of the railroad roads were the
chief means of communication between
different places and neighborhoods. A
spirit of improvement set in which if
continued would have given the coun-
try fine system of highways. One ex-
ample Of what would probably have
been done was given by the great ma
tional highway built across the Allie
ghany mountains by the general gov
eminent in the first half of the present
century. Other enterprises of the kind
would doubtless have followed had not
the steam railroad como in and offered
a means of communication so much
quicker and cheaper as to drive the com
mon roadway into obscurity. The steam
road era has lasted for half a century,
and while there is no evidence that the
locomotive as motor power is to be
abandoned there are signs that the com
mon road is to emerge from its obscur-
ity and recover some of its former pop
ularity.
One phase of this recovery will be the
laying out of great highways such as il
now projected in New York The city
of Chicago has such highway under
construction and when completed it
will form drive unsurpassed anywhere.
1t will be known as the Sheridan drive
and it will run along the shores of Lake
Michigan and penetrate some of the
most picturesque regions in that neigh
borhood. 1t has not the natural advan-
tages of the road now being considered
in New York state, however The latter
is planned to run near to one Of the
most scenic rivers in the world and
through cities and localities made his
toric by great events And if built it
will terminate in region which is be-
coming every year more popular as
health resort and known as the neigh
borhood where one Of the greatest ex-
periments in reforestation ever under
taken is now being carried out 1t
would pass through nine or ten coun-
ties, and if once begun will undoubted-
ly be extended along the shores of Lake
Champlain to Montreal in Canada
New Hampshire, too, is awaking to
the benefits to be derived from great
boulevard, and bill has been intro
duced in the legislature to build a road
to the White mountains. The complete
boulevard scheme as proposed includes
a fine highway running from the Mas
sachusetts line up through the heart of
the state to the mountains, there branch
ing off to the left and right, and extend
ing to Maine and Vermont. This would
very well pave the way for another
boulevard up the Connecticut valley
and another one in the valley of the
Saco, but the full fruition of these mag
nificent plannings is matter of years
and perhaps decades to accomplish.
New Hampshire is not burdened with
wealth, and her citizens cannot all bear
share in the expense that would be
entailed by speedy contamination of
these hopes. What is wanted now IS
but to make beginning. To this end a
bill has been introduced in the house
providing for the construction of lit
tie more than 20 miles Of boulevard
from the state line to South Nashua to
the bridge over the Piscataquog river at
Manchester.
such a road would be an object les
son to the whole state, says Governor
Rollins. 1T would lead to the better
education of the people Of the state on
the matter Of good roads, and would
show the farmer that by a judicious ex-
penditure upon the highways he can
save enough in the cost of getting his
goods to the local markets to reimburse
him for the outlay, without even tax
ing into consideration the increase in
the summer resort business which would
ensue and rebound to his financia! ad-
vantage as well.
With other cities discussing and car
rying ont such projects il is time for
Philadelphia to begin to consider sim
liar enterprise, says the Philadelphia
Press. There are plenty of routes
through which picturesque drive
could be built in this state and sur
rounding neighborhoods. The noun
tain scenery of Pennsylvania is but lit
tie known and chiefly because of its in
accessibility. One or more great high
ways leading to this region would bring
it into use and enable its beauties to be
enjoyed and its utilities to ne put to
practical service
The one great objection brought
against such projects is the expense.
The benefit to be derived in the rise in
value of property is always in the flu
ture and cannot be used TO pay the first
cost. A writer in the New York Mail
and Express suggests the use of convict
labor for building such highways and
the suggestion seems entirely practical
Bile.
Farmers Interested.