Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-07-03
LINN COUNTY COMPLETES SPLEEN.
DID PIECE OF HIGHWAY
NEAR CITY.
IMPROVEMENT COSTS
APPROXIMATELY $4,000
otrsesh Of Road Built in Conformity
With New State Law-County En-
gineer in Charge Of Work-Hard
Surface Of Crushed Stone, Material
Being Secured Nearby.

Cedar Rapids, July A striking e1-
Iowa road law. or rather the manner
in which Linn county is conforming to
the statute, is to be found just at pres
ent on what is known as the j street
road, where the county supervisors are
improving something like one mile of
road at an approximate cost OF $4,000.
The work will be completed within the
next two weeks. The amount eN-
pended and the manner in which the
road is being built represents what is
undoubtedly the first attempt at real
road building N Linn county-where
the road is brought to an established
grade and the work done under the
supervision Of the state and county
engineers.
The Improvement begins at the city
limits on street west and extends To
the Northwestern tracks, about one
mile south. on the route of the Red
Ball road from Minneapolis to st.
Louis. J. ]. Snouffer, Jr., who has the
contract for the grading and rock bal
last began work May J. and TO anyone
interested in good roads trip over
the route Will constitute liberal edu-
cation in road building of the perma-
nent sort.
Since the work began the force OF
men in the employ of Mr. SnouTer has
moved approximately $4,000 yards Of
earth, cutting down hills and raising
he 10 IL
Shafer farm a cut OF twelve feet was
made in the hill, which has been the
bugbear Of farmers south of the city
for two generations. The roadway is
being made twenty SIX feet wide. n
conformity with the rules laid down
by the state highway commission, and
the grade does not exceed per cent
at any point, which is the limit under
the new law
Material Used in Construction.
The roadway Is being covered with
Twelve inches Of nlacadan, including
q two inch surface OF finely crushed
stone The stone Is all blue linz
stone from The 6n0uffer quarries, the
hardest stone 20 be found In this sec
ton Of the state, and with proper
care in filling Up any worn places that
may appear in the course of time the
wearing surface should last many
years
Tho road is being built in strict con-
formity with .ha new Iowa law. and
Il the nrst road in Linn county to be
completed according to the rules and
specifications laid down by the state
highway engineer. The blue prints
showing the profile of the entire road
were made by the county engineer and
submitted to the state engineer at
Ames for his approval The grade
stakes were then set by the county |
engineer and the work thruout has
been under the supervision Of both the |
county and state engineers.
A portion of the road was macada- |
mized several years ago. with little or
no effort made to bring the road 10 /
any established grade. and this old !
macadam was torn up and relaid on |
the road south Of the Northwestern |
tracks. This work IN addition to the |
newly built road furnishes the farmers |
residing south of the city a perna-
nent, hard surfaced road for practic-
ally tho entire distance from the south |
Prairie creek bridge to the city limits. |
The road constitutes one OF the main
arteries to the city, and the improve
rnent Is of the greatest importance;
not only to farmers residing in the
south part Of the county. but to auto
mobIists travelling over the Red Ball
route to Iowa City.