Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-07-06
STATE ROADS SYSTEM
COMPLETE BY FALL
Work as Planned Originally by
First Commission to End This
Summer
1T TOTALS 1900 MILES.
Important Links in Chain Of High
ways Soon to be Com
Melted.


Before the end Of summer the State
roads system practically as originally
laid out by the first Roads Commission
appointed in 1908 by Governor Austin
L. Crothers. will have been completed
and open TO the public.
This vii comprise something like
eco miles, and includes a main high
way from Ocean City. on the beach OF
the Atlantic, 10 Oakland, the county
seat of Garrett county. $500 feet above
the sea This main highway passes
through Baltimore city y-infact, the city
is the center of the entire State roads
system
There is now considerable road con
struction in progres. but not as much
as there was a year ago, because with
the favorable weather Of 1914 more OF
the roadway was completed than it was
thought could be done. Between Bal
timore and Oakland, some 200 miles
there is still to be completed only a
few sections. Leaving Baltimore. the
first break in the road is at Funkstown,
few miles thiss ide of Hagerstown
where the highway is to be constructed
through the town limits.
The next break is seven miles east
of Hancock, where the work is in prog
ress and would have been finished ere
this except for some relocations that
caused delay Several miles Of this
section have been finished and all, in
cluding new bridge over the Western
Maryland railroad. vii be ready before
autumn. Beyond that the Cnly uncom-
pleted section between hancock and
Cumberland is the stretch running for
six miles east OF Green Ridge.
This is well advance and viii be
completed by late summer. This will
give a through road from Baltimore TO
| Cumberland over the same picturesque
route that was travelled many years
ago. before the days of railroads, by the
great freight wagons that brought the
products of the Ohio Valley to Balti-
more Between Hancock, Hagerstown
and Cumberland, there is on this ia
nous road some scenery that riyels
anything in the Rocky Mountains for
real beauty, especially in summer
At one point on the summit Of Fair
view Mountain, where the road crosses
the Potomac far below can be seen ap-
pearing and disappearing for no less
| than six miles. From Cumberland to
Grantsville there is a completed road
every inch and in the town of Grants
Vile itself the finishing touches are
being put on, which will give smooth
road TO the Pennsylvania State line.
Some miles beyond Grantsville. at Key
/ ser's bridge. there branches off to the
| left the State highway of Oakland.
All of this has been completed except
a short piece of Bear creek, and this
| Will be done by the middle Of next
month. For several miles here the
road entirely leaves the old route-one
of the worst in the State-and follows
an easy grade down TO Bear creek and
up to Accident This road between
Keyser and Accident is one of the most
picturesque in Maryland, and at Cove
there is a view that equals, and in some
respects surpasses. the view Of the
Cumberland Valley at Pen Mar
Going east from Baltimore the main
road is completed to Belair, thence 10
Havre de Grace and through North
East to Elkton. to Chesapeake City
Chestertown, CeEtreville, Easton, to
Hurlock. and Cambridge. Denton, Sal
isbury. Berlin, Ocean City, Snow Hill
PocomOke City and Princess Anne, ex-
cept through the town Of Centreville
and a section now under construction
north Of Denton Between Princess
Anne and Crisfield two sections are
under way and will be completed be
fore cold weather sets in. and this viii
give good road al the way from Bal
timore to Cris6eId
In Southern Maryland, where there
was a great cry for better transporta.
tion facilities, there Is a good roat
straight through from Baltimore T.
Solomon's Island by way Of Annapolis
Then there is another State road from
baltimore to La Plata and Leonard
town by way of Washington, and futur,
construction will provide a highway
between Annapolis and Washington city
this being nof partly completed
And from Washington north ther,
mas been finished road that connect
with the east and west highway a
Ridgeville, and thus forms one Of tn
most important links in the system
From frederick there reaches north d
the Pennsylvania line another road to
ward Gettysburg. and this is nearl,
finished. OF course, there are othe
State roads, al part Of the genera
system, some not entirely completed
But the main purpose of the origina
scheme-to connect the county seat
one with another and all with Balti
more-has been completed but for thu
few miles mentioned and which ar,
now under construction.