The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-07-21
Work Of the Highway Divis.
ion of the Geol ogical
Survey.

tOA VI Cu5 OeOI Og lc al
Survey.
MeSSrs. Editors:
With contracts let and n.
work begun upon about siyraen
miles of highway. the actual con
structiOn of State rctds in tba
various equities of MARYLAND
under the new State Aid ROAD
Law is now well under wav
Plans aud estimates for tbirsr
pieces of road varying in Length
from one-half to two miles h9ra
been sent out by the Higbwar
Division of the Maryland Geo
logical Survey, and of these ami
but two or three have been a
vertised by the County Commis
SiOners.
Some criticism has artisan
which in certain instances sbonld
be corrected and the facts Tho,
oughly explained. One such crit
icism has been an unfayorahl.|
com ment upon the State Geoloo
zeal Survey Commission over tia
selectian of pieces of road to hi
improved, the commission beino
held accountable for the partir
ular selections in these instance,
+ Criticism was further made tina,
numerous comparatively Short
pieces of road from one half ia
two miles each) were to be i'm.
proved instead of Ion ger stretches
At the offices of the State Geo
logical Survey Commission. how.
ever, the following explanatiO,
of the situation was given.
The commission, whatever in
opinion may be as regards the
advisability of improving a Ger
tain piece of road, cannot act in
the matter unless the COUNT
authorities first petition the Stat
for aid on that road. The com.
mission has a veto power--it can
refuse State aid on the ground
that the improvement of a road
petitioned for would not be
sufficiently public improvement
to justify the expenditure of STAT
funds, but this situation has Do
yet arisen, and if there is AM
dissatisfaction in any part of I'D
State over the selection of tb
roads to receive State aid. tb
responsibility must be placed 0.
the county authorities. As
matter of fact, in BaltimOr
County State aid has not beer
asked on less than one mile
any place, and in one district aid
has been applied for on a stretc
five miles in length.
1t is generally held that thI
interests of county will
better served by building SINAI
sections of road in differen
parts of the county, rather thai
one long piece running thrOug
one section for two reasons: Fins
that the general distribution
pieces OF good highway will q
able all sections to share equal
IN the advantages therefrom: and
second, that the educational tes
ture of snch distribution, in illu,
trating the value of properl
built roads, will be more effects
when widely distributed. Ina
much as the recent flood so wide
damaged the roads of some coal
ties, it Is believed that the Count
Commissioners will now be gla
of the opportunity to build sma
pieces of road here and thel
under the petitions filed for Stat
aid this year, and by so doiu
give all sections an opportunit
10 preft by the State Aid Act.
The recent flood demonstrate
very emphatically the wise pol
icy and economy of buildil
bridges of concrete on count
roads, matter which has bee
urged by scientific road buildsl
for some time past.
A striking example of the vau
of concrete bridges in the ever
of freshets was given at She
wood, Baltimore County, whel
a concrete bridge withstood II
force of the water, although Il
stream rose six feet above b
bridge and everything else with
reach was swept away.
w. BULLOCK CLARKE