The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-19

Huntsville, April 1S.-(Special) )-Madison
 county has always led Hle whole of North
 Alabama, Jefferson county excepted, in
 the matter of road building and now with
 a larger mileage of turnpikes than any
 other county in this section, extensive
 plans are being made for the repair of
 the bikes now in use and for the further extension of the big system. More money will be expended within the next +
 months on Madison county roads than
 has been available for this purpose in the last 20 years
 Pike building was begun in Madison coun-
 ty about 20 years ago and the work has
 been carried on with but few intermis- sions each year. The money realized
 from the sale of $172.5OO of pike bonds has been expended and a great deal ha been added to this out of the annual road funds There are now about 200 miles of pike roads in the county. There are
 nine great pike roads leading out or Huntsville to the principal country towns and communities and they with their in tersecting bikes lead into every precinct in the county.
 1HtIt lS OnC Dcil PihS cNS oh vile to Gurley, New Hope, Owens K Roads, Taylorsville and Whitesburg back to the city, making belt of good road 50 miles in extent. There is through pike from a point west of Madison near the Limestone county line, east through Huntsville to Maysville and Gurley to a point within a mile of the Jackson coun- ty line The question of building this gap of some two miles to connect the Mad ison and Jackson county pike systems is being agitated in both counties and when this link is built there will be through pike from Madison station to Bridge port.
 During the last few years the pike sys- tenn became so extensive that it could not be properly maintained by the gen. eral road funds There was a special levy of 10 cents on the $lOO to provide a supplementary fund for several years and in 1903 the special levy was doubled
 Even this has not proved to be enough
 money for the work demanded and at the present time the bikes are not in just the condition that the friends of good roads would like to have them. Probate Judge w. T. Lawler and the members of the court of county commls- sioners have proved to be friends Of the good roads movement and last year, Dy setting aside a surplus of $200Oo that had accumulated in the general fund.- to road improvement, they were enabled to make some appreciable progress in the work of repair.
 This year the profits of the county dis pensary have come to the rescue and the
 county commissioners find that they will
 have more money for roads than ever
 before. The sum of $50,000 Is available. Included in this amount are the profits of the dispensary, amounting to about S35. .000, and the regular road fund of about SIS. .OOO The whole amount will be ex- pended on repairs that will be made as
 rapidly as possible and this money Is
 believed to be enough to renew every
 mile of the whole system of 200 miles in the county
 A road supervisor who has had great
 experience in pike building, Frank Love
 of New Market. has been employed, and
 inc repair work will all start at Hunts
 vile and proceed in every direction. Each
 pike will be let out by contract to be re-
 built according to the specifications or
 the county commissioners court. After
 this work Is completed the bikes will be let out for maintenance to the lowest