Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-09-24
Superb Scenic Highway.

Superb Scenic Highway.
The road passes over a very noun
famous country, anording some of the
finest road scenery in Western Caro-
lima. This is regarded as n of the
most difficult pieces of road work in
the mountains of North Carolina. The
highway, which is twenty-five feet
wide, has practically a uniform
grade of 5 per cent. In many places
t was necessary to blast through solid
rock while a great portion of the road
was difficult of construction by reason
of the steep hillsides and the rock for
nation.
On one side the mountain is almost
straight up for hundreds of feet while
on the lower side road material dump
ed on the edge of the highway rolls
100 or more feet down the embankment
to the creek, which in some instances
have beee turned up the hillside and
the creek bed filled in with stone and
earth so as to permit a uniform grade.
From East Flat Rock to Saluda and
from there to Tryon the road work will
doubtless be impressive upon the hun
dreds of tourists who will hereafter
come to the mountains in automobiles
instead of over the railroad, having
been handicapped in this venture here
tofore by reason of almost impossible
roads.
Cost of Road Construction.
The stretch of road from East Flat
Rock to. Saluda is different from that
below Saluda and possibly more diff
cult of construction for the reason that
two mountains have to be crossed
while below Saluda the road follows
the river practically all the way, max
ing it less difficult to establish a uni
form grade.
1t is understood that the Polk coun-
ty authorities have expended about
$4,000 in road construction on this
highway, the distance covered being
about ten miles. 1t is estimated that
the twelve-mile stretch from Hender-
Jacksonville to Saluda will cost approx
imately $4,000. The difference in
cost is understood to be chargeable to
the methods of road work, it being let
by contract. in Polk county while in
Henderson it was not. The cost OF
making the survey also figured in,
this being a interchangeable item in
Henderson, where nothing was paid
for Supervisor Patton's services.
On the whole, the funds for Hender-
o county, which have been a little
more than half exhausted, have gone
much further in building roads than
had been predicted. The funds before
depleted will put Hendersonville town
ship roads in tip-top shape.
Work of Lasting Nature.
The permanancy of the road work
is an important item as will be seen
In the nature of the materials used IN
culverts and bridges. Supervisor Pat
ton is making it a rule to build no
plank bridges except tfmbers required
in steel bridges, since plank bridges
for automobile traffic is considered
quite unsatisfactory, especially by rea-
son of their short duration. Twenty
car loads of thing and metal ~culverts
have been received since the first of
the year.. Five iron or steel bridges
have been built while twenty-seven
concrete bridges of various sizes have
been. constructed over smaller streams.
These bridges under ordinary circum-
stances will stand for ages, hence
there will be practically no trouble or
expense hereafter in bridge repairs.
Henderson county naturally feels
proud of her splendid highway and
there Is but little opposition to good
roads work anywhere in the county.