Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1907-02-15
GOOD ROADS FOR
JOSEPHINE COUNTY
"A Model Half-mile 10 Be Built
AS a Beginning for Perma
nent Highways.

The good road movement that has
oeen gaining strength in Josehpine
county for several years past and
which was a power strong enough in
the election last year to bring about
The election of Democrat in strong
Republican county for county Judge
on his known good road stand, is TO
have The first practical demonstration
In the building Of half mile turn
pike on one of the main highways of
the county. This section of road to
be improved is from the Rogue river
bridge at the foot of Sixth street to the
forks OF the road where it divides one
line to Kerby and Crescent City, the
other to Applegate Valley and the other
up Rogue river to jackson CO unity.
This road has more travel over it than
any other four roads in the county, vet
is one of the worst of the main high
ways. For years past this section of
road has been glsring and damaging
object lesson on the bad road system of
Josephine. for all strangers visiting
Grants Pass with a view Of locating
in the county would see this stretch of
road leading out from the principal
street of the city and they would con.
clude that if that was a sample of Jo-
sephine county roads that the outlook
was bad for the city ever to get much
country trade or for the farmers to get
their produce to market. There is no
doubt that view of this section of
road has caused many propective in
vestors to leave for counties where a
more progressive spirit was manifested.
County Judge Stephen Jewell and
Commissioners J. T. Logan and NJ. A.
Wertz as the beginning for the road
work for 1907, which they announce
shall bring more permanent improve
ment to the highways of josephine
county than has heretofore been had
from the road expenditures for each
year, will have begun this week the
work Of making the section Of road
above mentioned into modern ma
cadamized highway.
A dozen men and teams will be EN-.
ployed and Road Supervisor George
Gebers, who is one of the most com.
petent road builders in the county,
will be in charge of the crew. The
approach to the Rogue river bridge,
which is 80 steep as to be one of the
worst pulls to teams on the Kerby
stage road, will have the outer end
raised to reduce the grade to an easy
cne. Two extensive fills will be made,
one on the low places beyond the
bridge and another at the foot of the
Smith hill. This hill is..to be reduced
from l11a per cent grade to four per
cent. The brook that crosses the road
will no longer be forded but will be
spanned by concrete arch, the first
on a road in the county, though Grants
Pass has put in several over creeks in
the city. 1t is the plan of the coun-
" W utItdlNtl pun III OOhSitAC Ahs'C"N
Of wooden bridges over small streams
where permanent road building is
done. When the grading is completed
the surface will be well covered with
gravel and that section of the fill
near the bridge will have the upper
side of the EN- bankment riprapped
with large rock to protect it from the
flood water of the river.
The improvement of this section of
road is to be the beginning on the
work of making the three roads that
branch from it into modern highways
that will be, free from heavy grades,
and as passsble to teams in January as
in July and not a canal of mud in the
Winter and stiffling dust bank in the
Summer. 1t is the plan of the property
o wners along this road to put in a
sidewalk along each side. With this
done South Grants Pass will be very
attractive residence section and the
value of property will be considerably
increased.