The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-02-26
$46,233.56 WAS SPENT
FOR STATE ROADS
In Washington County Last Year, the
Amount Not Including That Put
Into Barre's Granite Pave
mont

1 menL.
r. S. Currier, Washington county SUI
peryisor of roads, has issued the follow
! ing summary on the work accomplished
in Washington county during the past
| year:
"To the Road Commissioners and Select
men of the Towns, and City and Village
Officials, and Other Friends of Good
Roads:
Believing you to be interested in the
improvement of our highways, 1 take
pleasure in handing you the enclosed
blueprint which shows how the work
was distributed through the towns and
cities OF Washington county in the year
1918, also the source of revenue to cover
the total expense of SOS, l92.l0, as re-
ported to the state Office.
1T will be seen that of the total road
mileage OF the county, which is 1910
selected state roads. During the last
five years, 6l.4S miles, or a little more
than one-sixth of the whole mileage of
the state roads, has been improved at
total expense of Sl95,6004s, or at an
average cost of $3,lSl.6s per mile. This
year 1871 miles of improved state road
was built at cost of $46,233.50. Al
though this was larger expenditure
than last year, the mileage built was
lh miles less than in 1912, owing to
the fact that more difficult work was
undertaken than formerly. Two expen-
siye jobs Of blasting lodges to widen the
road in narrow and dangerous places
were done in Waterbury, two in Mont
pelier, and one each in Moretown,
Worcester, Mortified, and Woodbury..
This class of work kept one power drill
busy during the entire season and sec
ond one for several weeks, and much OF
the work was done by hand drill parties.
We believe this class of work is highly
appreciated by the travelling public, as it
adds largely to the element of safety.
every town and city in the county
did some good work this year, and some
towns did an exceptionally large amount
of work. Among these We're East Mont
pelier, which built l3 miles of telford
and gravel road at a cost of S4,84S.20;
Moretown, where more than | Ia miles
of telford and gravel road was built at a
cost of $5,S3S.37; Barre Town, where near
~ | IA miles of maeadam and gravel
road was built at cost of $4423l3;
Cabot, where nearly IA miles of telford
and gravel road was built at cost of
S2,602.59; Berlin, where more than one
mile Of telford and gravel road was built
at cost of $2,326.70.
Barre City did more than $4,000
worth of granite block paving in addi-
tion to its regular state road work call
ing for an expenditure of $2,59509. This
expenditure for granite block paving is
not included in the total figures above.
I'm addition to the 1871 miles of new
road constructed in 1913, 1916 miles of
road which was improved from three to-
nine years ago, was re-surfaced with
gravel at total cost of S7,51T.7S, or at
an average cost of 1891 per mile, or 81 .S5
per rod In addition to this, the towns
expended on maintaining state roads as
shown by their monthly reports Sl0,-
SOL, exclusive of oiling streets in cities
and villages, which item cost $3,06l.20
OF the Sl0,5797l expended on mainte-
nance, the state paid back TO the towns
about S3,050 and for oiling streets, $685.
Al. OF the $7,5l7.7S expended on re-
surfaeing old state road, $4,2S4.6l was
paid back by the state to the towns
and cities. The amounts contributed by
the state for maintenance, re-surfacing,
oiling streets and repairing damage to-
old state roads came from the automobile
fund and totalled more than $1,000
"One of the largest jobs in the county
was done in Plainfield and East Mont
pelier in connection with new concrete
iron bridge in Plainfield at the residence
of w. +. Coburn, where the state put
in nearly $4,000 special money to grade
the approaches of the bridge, improve
bad curves, hard grades and to cover
long strip of very bad sand road with
gravel. We believe this job will be
greatly appreciated by large number
of people residing in the vicinity of
Plainfield village as we'll as by the gem
eral public Another piece of work sim
liar to this is already planned for in the
town of Mortified in connection with
the erection of a new REINFORCED steel
concrete arch bridge to take the place
of the old red bridge at the north end of
the village which work is expected to
start early in the spring.
Much more attention by the state has
been given to the maintenance of the Sc
leeted roads the past year than formerly.
] am convinced that our roads will never
reach that degree of perfection which is
very much desired, and which true econ
omy demands until more continuous and