Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-14
Good Roads in New England.

tending from New York to the western
Maine border ard the heart OF the
White Mountain region in New Hamp-
shire. Such a road. linking New York
with the shore and inland resort of
northern New England has been the
dream of good roads enthusiasts for
MANY wears. and unless the plans of
New HAMPSHIRE, Massachusetts and
Connecticut all fail the dream will be
realized before another winter comes.
Here in Maine each town is doing it's
work for permanent highways in in
dependent fashion, but as almost every
town is doing something in this line
it cannot be many years before the
isolated sections OF improved roads will
be connected so that they will stretch
across the State over the main
travelled country routes as a contin-
uous highway.
In the net work of highways that
have been built from town to town UNI
der state auspices in Massachusetts,,
New Hampshire and Connecticut, the
road commissioners have not lost sight
of the larger plan for great central
trunk line through New England for
automobile and carriage travel. Each
year of the last decade and more has
seen portions of the route constructed.
Some gaps still remain, but they are
comparatively few and short, so that
it is predicted on authority that within
year an unbroken chain of state-built
macadam road more than 300 miles in
length will extend from Portchester,
New York city's gateway, to C2nnecti-
cut. through New Haven, Hartford and
Springfield to BOSTON, and thence on to
Portsmouth and Manchester, y. II.
sThe state of Connecticut has spent
$4,000 in the past year on a bit Of road
in the town OF Greenwich, only 1000
feet long, Strengthening it and reduce
ing its grades for the avowed purpose
of making it convenient and at
tractivc open door to highway travel to
and from New York. Between Green
wich and New Haven along the old
New York Boston post road, there are
still some sections which the state has
not improved, but according to State
Highway Commissioner James II. Nc
Donald the work is to be attended to
during the coming summer. For this
purpose there is available part Of an
appropriation of $J90,00O which the
state of Connecticut has set aside for
special trunk line construction. in ad-
dition to another appropriation of ST.
100000 for general highway building in
Hartford the state road is practically
complete, while from Hartford on to-
ward Springfield line of state high
way l., 10 be built on each side of The
Connecticut river during the year.
These road-buldins plans in Con-
necticut are only small part of a
general scheme on which work has
been going forward gradually since
1895. PROVIDING for Ii main truni. lines
traversing the state. OF these trunks
what may be termed the basic one boru- |
ers Long Island sound from New York |
to the Rhode Island line, following the |
colonial post-road route,- three others
to the north of this run approximately
east and west across the state, while
ten more run north from the sound
shore 10 the Massachusetts boundary.
At present the Grrnnwich-N,w Haven
Springiie Id route is OF most interest be-
cause NOSE nearly completed
From Springfield to Boston the state
Of Massachusetts has one of its mag
liiccnt boulevards row completed ex-
,ept for u stretch of nve miles near
Palmer. which will be built probably
next summer. The boulevard forms 4
'di I VI tht SoutielUlnCSt OIL the INES
If highway which are being pushed
East ard west across Massachusetts
by the state highway commission of
which William F.. McClintock
IS chairman. The Springfield line
is TO be continued west to Pittsfeld
by route yet to be determined
The northern trunk line from
Boston extends by way of Fitch
burg and Greenfield toward North
Adams. and is we'll adj ;,nced with the
exception Of the difficult mountain sec
ton at it's western end.
East Of Boston a line of rock ballast
ed road runs by the famous North
shore" summer resorts. and crossing
the 2Ierrimac river enters New Hamp-
shire. traversing the entire shore line
of the state to Portsmouth, Three
trunk highways running north through
the state have been projected in New
Hampshire. The central one of these
is we'll under way. 1t runs from
Lowell. Mass, through Nashua and is