The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1914-12-17
GREATLY IMPROVE
THE COUNTY ROADS
COMMISSIONERS SPEND $43,523
FOR PERMANENT IMPROVE
MENTS LAST YEAR.
EXTENSIVE PLANS FOR 1915
MONEY EXPENDED UNDER SU-
PERvISION OF STATE HIGH
WAY COMMISSION.
(By R. P. Didlake, Dist. Engr.)


The total road mileage in Stearns
county is approximately 1900 miles,
including 118 miles of state roads.
State Road No. l runs from St. Cloud
through, st. Joseph, Avon, Albany
Freeport, Melrose, Sank Centre, north
to the county line State Road No. 2
runs from st. Cloud through Rock
vile, Cold Spring, Richmond, Roscoe,
Paynesville, west to the county line.
State Road No. runs from st. Cloud
through Kimball south to the county
line. No. runs from st. Cloud
through st. Augusta to Clearwater.
No. runs from Avon through St.
Anna to Holdingford. No. 6 runs from
st. Joseph to Cold Spring. About 125
miles of this total are improved, &C
cording to the standard adopted for
earth road by the State Highway
Commission.
During the year 1914, $43,523 has
been spent on this system Of roads
under the supervision Of the Highway
Commission. This includes $1,000
given toward the Sartell bridge, $1153
for a bridge in the town of st. Aug
usta and $500 for the maintenance
of the state road system during the
season. Not all Of this money was
expended directly by the county, some
of the work being handled by the diff
ferent town boards.
A total of 55 miles was garded and
improved during the season. The cost
including clearing, grubbing, grading
and culverts, on a few pieces with
which the reader is familiar is as fol-
lows: St. Cloud to st. Joseph, 81
miles, $4,000; st. Cloud to Rockville,
including the crawling at Waite Park
9S miles, $6,640.85; Melrose to Sank
Centre, 7.S miles, S6,502.54; Half way
House to Pleasant Lake, $3,273.62.
The first job on state road No. l,
St. Cloud to st. Joseph, was graded by
the county outfit, consisting of one
81 horsepower traction engine and
two blade graders. After finishing this
job the county outfit graded that por-
ton of State Road No. 2 that could
be worked with blade graders, from
Cold Spring through Paynesville to
the county line; State Road No. 6,
from st. Joseph to Cold Spring and
several other smaller jobs. This out
fit is suitable for any light grading or
turnpiking and has been busy tn en-
tire season. The cost of work done
by the county outfit will not be avail
able until after the meeting of the
county board on Dec. %. The rest OF
the jobs mentioned have been con-
tract work.
Stearns county has done very little
in the way of gravel and nothing in
the way of macadam roads this year.
1t has been the policy of the county
board t. spend the money to get the
largest number of earth miles of road
improved to serve large number OF
people, rather than spend the money
at this time on concrete, macadam OF
gravel roads and construct a few
miles to serve few people.
The 118 miles of state road in the
county were divided this year into
nine sections for the purpose of main
tenance. A man was placed in charge
Of each section at a salary of 500 pei
month. These men were placed un-
der bond and had power to hire addi-
tional help when needed. They were