New-York tribune., 1902-05-19
STATE ROADMAklNG.
HOW THE S795OOO APPROPRIATION is
BEING EXPENDED.

BEING EXPENDED.
Albany, May Is (SpeciaD.-State Engineer |
Bond is busy at present examining the bids for
contracts to improve the States highways and
awarding the contracts under those bids. A
large proportion of the contracts covering the
appropriation of S795. COO for road Improvement
made by the legislature has already been
awarded by Mr. Bond.
One interesting part of the State Engineers
policy is disclosed by his action in granting con-
tracts to the amount of S1132O0 TO the Erie
County Board of Supervisors Il am encour-
aging all l can county undertaking itself the
work of road Improvement said Mr.. Bond a
few days ago, because that will lead to the
purchase of read improvement machintr ry by the
counties, and thus give them equipment for
the making of road repairs as we'll for the
construction of reads" The counties by this
means may also make some money. for the sig
nifCant statement made by a supervisor
of Erie County, who was reproached by a con-
tractor with having made bid only few hum
dred dollars less than that of a road improve
ment corporation, although the county would
use the labor of pententiary convcts in the
breaking of stone that he made the bids high
so that the county might make some money
The State Engineer also awarded contracts
for road improvement to the Board of Super
visors of Oneida County, to the Town Board Cf
the town of COrtlandville, in Cortland County;
10 the town board of the town of Esopus, in
Ulster County, and TO the Town Board of Shan
daken, in Ulster County.
The contracts to be awarded will really en-
brace an expenditure of $159OO00 as the
counties have appropriated an equal amount
with the State for road Improvement. The con-
tracts already awarded are for the improve
ment of roads in the counties of Erie, Oneida.
Schenectady, OnOndaga, Rensselaer, Washing
ton, ROckland. Albany, Montgomery, Fulton
Cortland. Chenango, Orange. Ulster and Broome-
Some of the roads to be improved run out from
an arc in the vicinity of Buffalo. Utica, Troy,
| Nyack, Norwich Canajohare and Binghamton-
| The State Engineer in his last annual report
stated that fiftynine miles of road had thus far
| been improved, at total cost to the State OF
! $4,000 The sum of $4,000 having been ap-
| propriated this year. it is reasonable to think
| the number Of miles of improved road will be
| doubled before the year ends, and that there
| will be fully 40 miles Of improved roads. Sur
| veys had been made at the beginning of the
! year for the improvement of roads in thirty
| two counties. The aggregate length Of these
| roads thus surveyed G34 miles The State
Engineer also states in his annual report that
there have been built or are in course Of
| construction ffty-one macadam roads located
| in nineteen counties. which will aggregate, when
! completed 134l2 miles in length, at an average
| cost of 81 300 a mile: and also five earth roads
located in Orange County, aggregating 1851
miles in length, at an average actual cost OF
| 81 l34 mile. These dirt roads in Orange Coun-
| ty are now under construction.
| Mr. Bond is desirous that the hard trap rock
70 be found in Rockland County shall be used
as extensively ais possible in road Improvement,
and he said a few days ago that he had not
given up his plan for the purchase of a quarry
| nd 10 sale of the
| rock for road improvement at the lowest pos
| sible rate. Mr.. Bond hopes TO persuade the
managers of the great railways Of the State TO
| transport this trap rock to various points in the
State at about the cost Of transportation. Any
| Improvement of roads leading to railroad sta
tions would Of course, he a pecuniary benefit 70
| the railroads
COUNTY SUPERVISION
Another subject which interests the State En-
gineer is the supervision of road construction
by county authorities. With Mr. Bonds hearty
approval, the legislature passed bill introduced
| by Assemb yman O'Brien of Clinton County,
| which is now chapter 500 of the laws of this
year, adding a new article To the Highway law
| in order to increase the county supervision of
| highways The new law says that the Board of
| Supervisors of any county may appoint county
| engineer This engineer is to give his entire
time and attention to the construction and inn
| proyement OF highways and bridges, Among
! his duties will he that OF personally examining
| the various formations of gravel and stone in
| a county for the purpose of ascertaining the
| materials best available for the improvement OF
| highways After consultation with the com
| misSiOners of highways of towns, he is also 70
! establish the grades of roads that are 10 he i'm
| proved. Another Of his duties is tO supervise
| and direct the maintenance of all highways
| which have been constructed and improved by
| state aid. State Engineer Bond especially de-
. | sired the creation OF 4 system of county
| vision of highways in order TO have the roads
| already improved by the State taken care of in
| a thorough manner by local authorities. An
| other noteworthy feature of the law is that
| which authorizes a town board of any town
| which has adopted the money system Of repair
! ing highways to provide for the construction OF
| neNy highways the CONSTRUCTION of eNStin.