The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-07-15
MAIN STATE ROAD SYSTEM
IS NEARLY COMPLETED
Chief Engineer Shirley Predicts Finish,
Except One Gap. In August.

Chief Engineer Henry W. Shirley. of
the State Roads Commission, expressed
the opinion today that by the middle or
end of August the entire main highway
system of Maryland will have been com
pleted from Ocean City in Worcester
county, to Oakland in Garrett county,
with the exception of a section about
mile and half long on top of Townes
Mountain, west of Hancock. in Wash
ington county. This gap Mr.. Shirley
expects to have closed by the latter
part of October.
From Ocean City the road through
Salisbury, Eastcn, Centerville, Elkton
and Belair to Baltimore has been finish
ed with the exception of q small sec
tion running through the town of Cen
teryille, and this is under construction.
From Baltimore west through Frederick
and HagerstOwn to the Pennsylvania
| line, in the northwest corner of Garrett
county, the road has been finished with
the exception of the gap on Townes
Mountain and another gap about one
mile long, near Parkhead, Washington
/ county. From Keysers Bridge, where
the road forks-one section running to
the Pennsylvania line and the other to
Oakland the Oakland section has been
finished with the exception Of q short
stretch half-mile long, which will be
I completed next week.
From Baltimore the road running
through Charles and St. Mary's counties
has been completed to St Inigoes, in
st. Mary's county, aud will be com
pleted to within one mile Of Point Look
out by the latter part Of August at the
latest. The road from Baltimore to
Solomons Island via Annapolis is finish
ed, and the road from Ridgeville to
Washington viii be completed by July
20. Mr.. Shirley says the road from
Frederick to Harpers Ferry will be
! completed as far as Knoxville by the
end of this month, but that the two and
half miles from Knoxville to Harpers
Ferry will not be built this year, owing
to a number Of reasons.
At present the commission has about
SO State and about 25 or 30 State.aid
contracts running Most of them will
be finished within the next few weeks.
The greater part of them cover branch
roads. One important contract that is
under way calls for the completion of
the Emmitsburg pike to the State line,
where it will connect with Pennsyl-
vania road leading to the Gettysburg
battle field The commission Is work.
ing also on road to Indian Head, in
Charles county, and on another road
from Baltimore to Falkners, in Charles
county.
Three roads are under construction in
Prince Georges county. One runs
from Camp Spring to Meadows, another
from Upper Marlboro to Hills Bridge
and the third from Seat Pleasant to
| Largo. In Anne Arundel county the
Baltimore-Annapolis boulevard is under
construction from Glenburnie to Pumph-
rey. In Montgomery county the Seneca
| creek road is being built, and in Somer-
set county road is being built under
two separate contracts from CAROLS
Corner to Hopewell Bids have been
asked for on two sections of road in
Worcester county, but the contracts
have not been awarded.
The completion of the man arterial
system from Ocean CITY to Oakland
will give Maryland one of the longest
stretches of improved highway in the
country and road that is believed to
be second to none in the United States,
distance considered. Mr.. Shirley ex-
planned the delay in the completion of
the section across TONNES Mountain by
saying that all materials have to be
hauled up steep grade, a necessarily
slow process.
Maryland's roads have been highly
complimented recently by several out
of-State motorists who have taken the
trouble to express their opinions upon
the subject in letters addressed to the
chairman of the Roads Commission A
New Yorker recently wrote that he be-
lieved Maryland has the best roads in
America. He had just finished a motor
trip over some of the Eastern Shore
roads and expressed his intention of re-
turning to the State and going over the
remainder of the system.
About 1,400, 600 gallons of oil was
used in dustproohng the roads this year.
The work has just been finished and
most of the roads are now in excellent
condition. The authorities have found
that the wear on the road surfacing
amounts to about one-half inch wear.
Consequently they have adopted the
plan, when oiling the roads, of having
about an inch of new material added
each year. In this way the roads, in
stead of wearing out, will be getting
thicker all the time.