The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1914-01-08

way Commissioner to the County
Road Commissioner, in counties under
the county road system, and to Boards
of Supervisors, or Township Boards
in other cases. Joint action OF the
State Highway Commissioner and one
of these boards is required to fix the
location of the trunk line highways.
After the lines are fixed and upon
application from the proper authorities
the State Highway Commissioner
makes the surveys, plans and speci-
fications which are turned over TO
the local officials who supervise the
building of the roads under general
directions from the State Highway
Commissioner. From the above 1t will
be noted that the width of metal that
is to be used on trunk line roads Is
fixed by the State Highway Commits
sioner when the plans are prepared.
These widths are kept as uniform as
possible on the different sections OF
roads, and vary from nine to sixteen
feet, according to the amount OF trav-
ell road has to carry, which Is usual
" in direct proportion to the town
ships or county's ability to pay for
the road. In a general way an EFFORT
will be made to have the trunk line
roads metaled to a width of fifteen
or sixteen feet in all counties south
of the north lines of Kent county in
the west and Bay county in the east.
| Some exceptions to this rule are being
made for interior counties west OF
| Bay. In no cases are nine foot roads
allowed on trunk lines over very sandy
soils unless some clay or other hard
materials are used for shoulders, thus
making a hard roadway at least fif-
teen feet wide on which two vehicles
! can pass.
"In the past, the State rewards have
averaged between one-fourth and one
fifth the total cost of the roads re-
warded and it is fair to assume that
the trunk line rewards will pay very
nearly one-half the average cost of
| building the trunk line roads.
1T should be noted that on the
trunk lines the added reward is 500
|
width for gravel roads and 5000 a mile
for each additional foot for macadam
roads. This amounts to sixty cents
a cubic yard for the extra gravel and
| $120 a cubic yard for the extra stone
required. In many cases this extra re-
ward would entirely pay for the extra
width (for the grading is already
done). and in many more the extra
annual repair money earned would pay
very good interest on any increased
cost over that paid by the extra re-
wards.
Since this act was passed this de-
partment has made preliminary sur
veys Reconnaissance of some 1920
miles of road in order to determine
the most economical and feasible
routes TO be chosen for the trunk
lines, and over 800 miles of this work
has been plotted. In addition some
$50 miles of established trunk roads
have been staked out and working
plans have been completed on more
than 100 miles of these roads.
! Bridges
THE new law requires the State
Highway Commissioner to prepare
plans and specifications for highway
bridges of more than 80 feet span,
when requested to do so by township
officers. Under this provision large
bridge is under construction over
Grand River at Saranac.
THE trunk line act further requires
the State to design and build all
bridges of more than 30 foot span on
the trunk lines. Complying with this
provision the State has completed
six.span reinforced concrete bridge
which is 244 feet in length, over the
Peshekee River in Marquette county
and has almost completed 47-foot
span bridge in Wayne county over
Chocin Creek on the Michigan ave
nVa rood