The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-04-25
THE COUNTY'S
STONE ROADS.
The State Road Commissioners
Report Shows What Has
Been Done.
COST OF MT. FREEDOM ROAD.

The report Of the Commissioner OF
Public Roads for 1904 has been issued.
The volume in addition to the usual
reports. includes large number Of
half-tone pictures of roads before and
after improvement, standard specih-
cations, road laws, tables useful to en-
gineers and road committees and much
other information.
For Morris County the following
roads are reported Mt. Freedom road,
3O4 miles, costs s31.8l4.57; states
share, $40, O,604.86 {; Lincoln Park, Mont
vile and Boonton road, second section.
costs S24, $50. 30; states share, sS,216 rs.
Total number of miles, 5.98 total
paid to the county, S18,821.62.
The report has the following to say
about Morris county roads,
Randolph Township section Of New
ton Turnpike, 6.O7 miles long, 2.46
miles of which were completed in 1902,
81 of a mile in 1908, and the renaind-
er, or 3.O4 miles, in 1904
The road is cut through a wild and
mountainous region, and is part Of the
famous turnpike laid out IN the Begin
ming of the last century, with the am
bilious design of connecting the head
waters of the Delaware river with
those Of the Atlantic Ocean. For al
most one hundred years this turnpike,
with its succession Of sharp ridges and
deep gulleys, remained unchanged,
and, consequently, was little used, SO
the residents of the northern portion
Of Morris county followed the more
circuitous route along the Rockaway
valley to the county seat, and, as one
of them tersely expressed it, " Morris
town is twice as far away from US as
it ought to be; If Mount Freedom
were only pared down and the tops Of
the hills cut off and dumped into the
hollows, we would not have to travel
more than half the distance we now
lido to reach Morristown,
This seemed to be the universal sem
timent, both In Morristown and the
northern section of the county. Ac-
cordingly, this great undertaking was
commenced and carried toward sue
cessful conclusion. The magnitude Of
the task may be better appreciated
when 1t is known that in many places
it was necessary to cut through solid
rock to depth of over twenty-five
feet. This is the greatest engineering
feat that Morris county has performed
since it commenced the work of i'm
proving its highways, and the benefits
which will be derived from this inn
proyemenu will not be fully realized
for come years to come.
1t sconstructed Of macadam, twelve
feet wide and six inches thick.
Milton J.. Black, Rockaway, New
Jersey, was the contractor.
The maximum grade was reduced
from 1s per cent. to $50 per cent.
The price per square yard for maca-
dam, native rock. was 36 cents.
The total cost was S32, ,S55.57.
Lincoln Park, Montyille and Boom
ton Road, 4.2s miles long, "a miles of
which were completed last year, and
the remainder, or 2.94 miles, COM
pleted this year.
This road begins at the Beavertown
inclined plane and follows the line of
the Morris canal to the Boonton
township line. 1t is built Of maca-
dam, twelve feet wide and six inches
thick.
William ]. and Arthur G.. Bum,
Paterson, New Jersey, were the con-
tors.
The maximum grade was reduced
from . per cent to per cent.
The price per contract, lump sum,
second section, was SIC, ,334S5.
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