The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-21
PLAN BIG HIGHWAY
TO NEWPORT NEWS
Motor Car People Suggest Route
Which Will Link
Richmond.
MR.. MANvILLE OPTIMISTIC
Comes Back With Gordon and
Foster, Who Put Signs
Along Road.
lR. MANvILLE OPTIMISTIC

With twenty miles of good road
branching out from both cities, auto.
mob'lists and other good roads en-
thusiasts are planning to link Rich
mond and Newport News with an up-
to-date highway, over which the dis
lance of eighty-six miles can easily
be made in four hours in motor car.
The plan received It's Immediate i'm.
petus from a trip made to Newport
News by -. +. Gordon and L. NJ Fos-
ter of this city, who returned yester-
day, after mapping out and placing
signs along what they considered the
most feasible route
Accompanying them to this city was
L. B. Manvllle, of Newport News, who
is going into the scheme heart and
soul. Though before any actual work
toward obtaining money for the pro-
posed road can be done, an organizn-
ton must be perfected. Mr.. Manviue
last night unfolded his Idea of It,
which had already been approved by
Messrs. Gordon and Foster and Presl-
dent w. A. Post. of the Newport News
Automobile Association, who was also
in the city last night.
Pick Shortest Road.
In the first place. the route chosen
by common consent of those who have
travelled the distance in motor cars,
was to Williamsburg by way OF Hal
sey's Point, then TO Toano. and to the
Williamsburg Road by Seven Pines TO
this city, there being few hills this
way in comparison with the road along
the Chesapeake and Ohio
I'VE find" said Mr.. Manville last
night, twenty miles of good road run
ming into Richmond, and there are rs
many directly out from my city. This
would leave only for;y-six miles of
actual construction. I feel sure that
with the proper kind of organization
the business men Of the two cities
could. with the corporation of county
supervisors, arrange 70 get n good
road through in remarkably short
while. | think Newport News and
adjacent cities would agree TO take
charge of such a road through the
counties OF Warwick. York and James
City il Richmond will look after the
rest Approximately this viii cover
distance of forty eight miles from
Newport News. Primarily, of course.
we must cooperate with the county
supervisors and see to It that none of
the counties through which the road
is to pass goes in debt or increases
its road levy We hope to have our
organization completed in the early
part of January, and If all goes we'll
should be actually constructing the
road by April L.
No New Surveys.
Unless the plans of the organization
are materially different from those
which Will be proposed by Mr.. Man
vile and his associates, the new road
VIII be a we'll kept and accurately
graded dirt road except in such places
as there are already macadatn or shell
roads. The practicabiity of properly
maintained dirt roads has been demon
strated and the cost has been shown
to be hundreds of dollars per mile
where the stone and gravel roads run
UP into thousands. There Will be no
new surveys or assessment of damages,
as the route lies along roads that have
been public for many years. The
greatest difficulty In construction will
be along the Chickahoniny River
where the land is low and subject to
overflow.
In nearly all the counties short por-
tons of roads are being macadamized
from year to year, and 1t is reasonable
to expect that In the course Of a few
years a highway SO generally travelled
as this one will be, will be solid from
end to end.
To Confer Third Rank.
Pythias, will confer the third rank
on nine applicants at its meeting
tonight. A large attendance of mem-
bers of this and sister lodges is de-
sired. This lodge Is now In a flour
ish condition and doing much work.