New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-19
STATE GOOD ROADS WORK
u;ohway Department Will Build
80 2.2O0 Miles This Year.
e NOW LETTING CONTRACTS
r.,rsands of Trees To Be Plant
cd in Order to Prevent Dam
ace by the Elements.

..,,a of New York is doing more
80. wear for the Improvement OF highways
, any other state in the Union. Ihere
'la" .rnroximately 5000 miles Of road In
az nor.nonwealth, about 1900 miles OF
'ne ~ have been improved as state or
w." ~ highways. 5000 miles have been
0Vadomized as town roads, 500 miles
na0 ,eo, improved by towns as gravel
1900 miles have been shaped 10
'V~.s .,,snt and &C. 900 miles remain In their
.,,ginal condition.
- are now loo miles under contract.
uicbwav Commission Is putting APP
aooxImately 200 miles more under con-
~,,o,,on this season; in fact. is in the
'a,dst OF letting contracts for LOO miles,
80 Greatest amount of mileage ever let at
.ne time in the history Of the state.
T,,s 100 miles is divided into about 30
.,-,,s of roadway OF various types of con-
1,,uction best suited to the existing traffic
,asds Heretofore no continuous routes
Ger, built. but the policy of the present
commission is to lay out and complete the
,,eat trunk lines throughout the state, and
:, the same time give fair apportion-
nnert OF mileage 10 cdCu county
~ the original S0,O00,cp bond issue max
.ng I'D the highway Improvement fund
W onOoo has already been used, and
.bont all the balance will be spent IN build
mo the immense mileage this season and
IN maintenance.
In many instances IL has been found that
,revious types OF construction did not stand
~ and resurfacing and a general over
naming became necessary, which work is
hslng pushed by the Highway Bureau Of
maintenance and Repair, Of which Charles
=. Foley is the deputy. Mr.. Foley has re-
ou.s,ed that the members of the Touring
cIub OF America report cases Of highways
needing repair to his bureau In the High
vay Department at Albany. where they Will
receive immediate attention.
There remain now 1900 miles Of state
highways and $500 miles of county high
WAYS yet to be built in order 10 complete
the highway system as laid out. OF these
roads the state will bear Go per cent OF the
,ost. Therefore. the Legislature passed a
Mill authorizing another bond issue OF $780,
1000 for highway Improvement, 10 be re-
f,rred to the people at the coming elections
this fall Every effort is being made to put
this through.
1t is intended in case the new bond
issue becomes available, that the funds for
highways shall be apportioned 10 the coun-
ties upon q percentage basis Of mileage,
area and population.
Among the great trunk lines the commits
sion is completing are the New York city
Rouse's Point highway, which will join a
route from Montreal, on the Canadian line,
diving a completed road between the two
cities. route No. / running noriherly from
New York City along the eastern boundary
line Of the state, route No. along the
eastern bank Of the Hudson River from
New York to Albany. route No. 3 along the
western bank of the Hudson, route No
from New York, by way of West Point,
along through the southern tier OF counties
10 Lake Erie. and route No. 6 from Al
bany, through Utica and Syracuse. TO
Buffalo.
The commission has also recently pur-
chased coo red oak seedlings and 1000
Carolina poplars and white birch for plant
ing along the edges of the highways. 1t
will be the effort OF the commission 10
plant every road in the state eventually. it
having been found that the elements
worked havoc with the roadbeds and sur
facing Comparison has only TO be made OF
the cost Of maintenance Of highways
through wooded strips with those through
open country 70 realize the economy of
the system, aside from the beauty and
comfort 10 the traveller.
This plan Of planting the trees along the
road lines will also, In the aggregate, con-
stitute an important forestry system for
the state. Every mile Of highway so
planted is equivalent TO more than an acre
devoted to forestry. The 3,764 miles Of
highway now built and under construction,
with the mileage 10 be let to contractors
the coming summer-something over two
thousand miles-will give the state a broad
teld for this important work
II has been the custom in past years FOR
travellers 10 comment on the trees lining
the great highways abroad, particularly in
France and Germany. where the govern
ments have seen At TO bring their plantin z
ard care 10 a science. These countries
even have nurseries that are regular forest
AUTOMOBILES