The Pleasantville press., 1914-10-17
COUNTY FREEHOLDERS
ORDER ROAD SURVEYS
Final Routes Of Somers Point
Longport and Absecon-Atlan-
tic City Roads Ordered.

Resolutions authorizing County En-
gineer Nelson to make the final sur
vey of the Somers Point-Longport
Boulevard, prepare specifications and
cross sections and submit them to
State Road Commissioner Stevens,
were passed by the Board of Freehold
ers without dissenting vote on We'd
nesday.
The only thing which now stands in
the way of making this project a real
ity is the approval of Commissioner
Stevens, which it is believed will be
given after the plans have been exam
ined by him. Freeholder James Clark,
of Somers Point, declared, before in
Producing the resolution, that the
right of way for the road had all been
secured all the distance from Somers
Point to Longport.
1t is estimated that the road will
cest in the neighborhood of $240,000
forty per cent. of which will be con-
tributed by the State on the actual
road work and twenty per cent on the
bridges. 1t will also be necessary for
the Board to secure the approval of
the War Department to the building
of the bridges over the navigable
streams.
Owing to the weak condition of the.
bridge over the Beach Thoroughfare
on the Meadow Boulevard, the county
engineer was authorized to prepare
plans and specifications for retaining
walls of concrete to be built. making
the bridge go feet wide. Chairman
Clark, of the Bridge Committee, stat
ed that the BRIDGE was in very poor
condition and that all of the under
structure was rotten. To repair it
would cost $1,000 at the least. and
then it would not last long. Since the
Meadow Boulevard is to be widened
and paved next year he advised the
Board to build this bridge properly
now He estimated that it would cost
about $4,000 to erect it in concrete
and make it 60 feet wide.
Former County Enoineer Rightmire
presented three bills to the Board to-
falling $3,455.61, for work which he
had done on different county roads
before he resigned. On motion of
Chairman Black. of the Finance Com
mittee, Mr.. Rightmire was requested
to submit all of his bills at once and
after they have been audited, they will
be paid.
That seventy-fve per cent. of the
right of way of the boulevard from
Absecon to Atlantic City has already
been secured and condemnation pro-
ceedings are already under way to get
the remainder, was the gist of re-
port which former Senator Edward
Wilson made to the Board.
Immediately upon the presentation
of this report, the following resolu-
tion. introduced by Freeholder F. Fra
ley Doughty, of Absecon, was unani-
mously passed: Whereas it is report
ed that the rights of way for the Abb
secon-Atlantic City road are expected
to be secured in the near future,
therefore be it Resolved. that this
Board request the State Commission
er of Public Roads to consider said
road in making his apportionments of
the road funds for the present year"
This resolution placed the Absecon-
Atlantic City Boulevard on the same
footing as the Somers Point-Longport
road. the final survey of which was
ordered. It was the intention of Mr..
Doughty to remind the State Road
Department that a demand would be
made in the near future for their ap-
proval of this latter road and that he
should keep this in mind when making
the appointments of this fund.-
Senator Wilson in his report said:
"In securing the right of way for this
road the committee which was appoin-
ted by your Board, working in con-
junction with the one appointed by the
Chamber of Commerce. we ran UP
against considerable difficulty. The
owners of nine of the properties
through which the road will pass were
scattered all over the country and we
have had hard time in getting hold
of them. The woman, who owns
three of the largest tracts, has lately
signed deed giving us the right of
way through her land. In all more
than seventy-fve per cent. of the right
of way has been secured and we will
get the remainder either by gift or
condemnation proceedings which are
now under way"
The Absecon-Atlantic City Boule-
ward, according to the preliminary
survey, will begin at the intersection
of the Philadelphia and New York
Roads at Absecon and continue across
the meadows to Venice Park and
thence into Atlantic City. According
to the estimate made by County Engl-
neer Nelson it will cost about $780,
i 600 to build this boulevard. Of this
amount the county will nay go per
cent. and the State 40 per cent. on the
road work and the State will contrib
ute 20 per cent. of the cost of building
the bridges.
The gravel being used by the Miller
Construction Company in the building
of the new road between Mays Land
ing and Oyster Creek, and which was
.disapproved by State INSPECTOR Meek
err. was approved by the Board and the
Company was ordered paid
1t was ordered that Atlantic Coun-
ty's tubercular patients be cared for
at the county's EXPENSE in the new
Camden County Tubercular Hospital
which has just been completed
The Board decided not to provide
additional rooms to the Court House
at Mays Landing for the use of Grand