Norwich bulletin., 1914-05-16
ROAD MATTERS IN
 NEW LONDON COUNTY
Engage Attention of State Highway commissioner-SaIem Turnpike and New London Hartford Pike.


 Road matters in New London county way Commissioner c. J. Bennett on two days this week.
 On Thursday he was here and went over a portion of the road from here to Gardners Lake. over which a peti- tion was presented to him some time ago regarding a particular section that is in the town of Montville which spe- cially needs attention since the town does not properly take care of it, the petitioners claim. He viewed the road in company with Dr. J. J. Donohue, who was one of those who signed the petition. They went beyond the lake as far as Bozrah- The commissioner expressed the hope that the roads may be improved.
 Early in the week the commissioner held conference at Hartford with delegation from the Business Mems as- sociation of New London, several citi- zens of Waterford and President Dan- iel NJ. Wright and Secretary David w. Nichols of the Hartford board of trade, on the matter of the Hartford-New London turnpike.
 After the meeting Commissioner Bennett gave out the statement that state aid money for highways in Mont vile and Waterford under the appro- priations of 1913 and 1914 will not be allowed to be used for any other work except the Hartford-New London turn pike-work agreed upon at a confer ence last summer by town officials even if he has to hold it for an indefi- mite period. The state will not com plete the highway without the cooper ation to which these two towns agreed, It is thought that this action of Commissioner Bennett may alter the attitude of some of the people in Wa terford who believed they could force the state to do something that Com missioner Bennett is not willing to do.
 Only IT miles of the trunk line remains to be completed.
 Plans for this turnpike began more than a year ago and appeared to be coming to head early last summer, when, at a conference in New Lon don, Commissioner Bennett said that while the state had no funds at that time for the trunk line in that part of the state if the towns along the | line would use their state aid money
 on this highway, that he would see that the road was finished. All of the 1 towns along the layout agreed to this
 and it looked as though the highway would be a reality
 The old road that now runs down | through that part of the state is one of the worst pieces of road in Con-
 necticut and only last week Commis-
 sioner Bennett himself tried to get through II Tn ms autOmODlle ana naC to be pulled out twice by horses. After some of the towns had actual ! ly begun their work, First Selectmar
 A. H. Lanphere of Waterford reclined \ to sign the contract with the highway | commissioner and because Waterford had broken faith. the town of Mont vile also declined to sign the con- l tract. and the two towns held up the completion of the important piece oi
 work. From that time on, various misunderstandings haee arisen to com plicate the situation.
 1 This conference was for all partie: | interested to better understand eacf | other, and when the conference ended | Commissioner Bennett was no langel | blamed for failure to complete the highway
 | People in Waterford have been giveI to understand that if they did no apply their state aid money to thii trunk line. the money could be applied to what is known as the Logger hil
 road. which is between New LondoI and Niantic and in different part O the town than the proposed new trunl line would run. They also hold tha failure on the part of the town t' complete this section of the highwa'
 would make it necessary for the stat to do it entirely at the states ex pense. The conference resulted il Commissioner Bennett authorizing tn low the state aid appropriations t be used for any other work even i he has to hold it for an indefinite pc riod. and that the state will not com plete the highway without the coopera ton of these towns