The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-05
Bettering the Highways

The state highway engineer should
he empowered to appoint all of his as
sistants after proper examination and
with the advice and consent Of the
commission, to receive all bids and to
award contracts, to supervise the work
OF construction and maintenance. and.
in fact, he should be given full authori-
ty in all executive work of the depart
ment. The state highway engineer
should prepare map of such Of the
main highways of the state as should
most properly constitute system Of
state or trunk line roads to be imprey-
ed either IN part or wholly by the state.
State road improvement should be car
Red forward with the ultimate idea OF
developing continuous system OF
trunk lines running throughout the
state and connecting, IL possible, with
similar trunk line roads in adjacent
states and with the necessary lateral
roads in each county.
The state highway engineer should
be given authority to call OH county or
township road officials for information
concerning the roads under their super.
vision, and it should be made manda-
tory on such officials to furnish such in
formation upon request. This is very
desirable, as it is necessary for the
state highway department to keep post
ed as to conditions existing in different
counties.
moot nf fho 20 IN nj In
initiative in obtaining state aid rests
with the county or township authori-
ties. This is q wise provision, because,
In the first place, the local authorities
are in better position to know what
roads it will be to the greatest advan-
tage OF the county or township to i'm
prove, and, in the second place, they
are best able to determine the extent
of the county's ability to share in the
expense of such an Improvement An
other consideration of great importance
in this connection is that if the initia-
tive We're to rest entirely with the
state there would be certainty OF
conflict of authority between the state
and the counties, resulting in the ulti-
mate failure of the state aid plan.
The only case in which the roads can
be built by the state without the full
and. hearty cooperation of the coun-
ties OF townships is where the state
pays the entire cost of building and
maintaining the roads. Most of the
laws provide that state aid shall not
be granted until the application OF the
local authorities has been approved by
the state engineer, which enables the
engineer to exercise a. sort of superyis-
DRY power, over the selection OF the
roads to he improved to the end that
the, various roads throughout the state
shall conform TO a general system.
All surveys, plans. specifications and
estimates for state roads and bridges
should be made by the state highway
engineers office, thus insurings uni
formity and a high degree of excel
Ience. All improvements to cost over,
say, $1,000 should be let to contract
MS it has been found that this. means
economy both in time and money and
with proper supervision will usually
give better results than, could be oh
tanned otherwise.
Some of the states provide that the
whole cost shall be paid in the first in
stance by the state, the counties or
townships being required to reimburse
the state for their share at fixed
time after the road is improved.
Bridges and culyerts should be con-
sidered az a part of the road and the
state should aid in their construction
within proper limitations In the same
manner as FOR the road itself. When
the work is let to contract the contrac-
tor must of necessity advance money
in the performance Of his contract and
is therefore entitled to receive partial
payments thereon as the same progress
es. but not over So per cent of the con-
tract price of the work should be paid
in advance of its full completion and
acceptance.
The state highway engineer should be
required to keep all roads built by the
aid Of the state In proper repair, the
total cost OF such repairs to be paid by
the state. the counties and townships
TO reimburse the state in the same man
ner as for the construction of the road.
The reason for this Is that road main
tenance Is Of as great or even greater