Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-03-12
The SpIen did State Roads System

The Splen did State Roads System.
Baltimore Evening Sun.
The system Of main roads undertaken
by the State Government of Maryland in
1903 aggregated 1925 miles. including
thirty-eight miles which had already been
constructed by the Geological Survey under
the Shoemaker act Of 1904. 1t is this sys-
TEN Of 1885 miles that is to be completed.
according to announcement made by the
Roads Commission, by July of this year.
Goldsborough, the credit for inaugurating
the enterprise which has resulted so well
for the State is given to Governor Crothers.
This is just tribute. But while Governor
Crothers urged the work of the Roads Com
mission upon the Legislature. the first
movement for road improvement by State
agency was made by the Legislature in
1898. upon the initiative of the State Geo.
logical Survey. At that session the high
way division of the Geological Survey was
created and an annual appropriation of
$4,000 was provided. A survey Of the
roads Of the State was made under this
act and road-making material was located
wherever II existed. The information so
collected has been utilized by the Roads
Commission.
In 1904 the Shoemaker act was passed
appropriating 100000 annually to be
used where county government would
contribute one-half the cost Of the road to
be built The road making under this act
was put in charge Of the Geological Survey.
On June 1. 1910. the work was taken from the
survey and committed to the State Roads
Commission. Up to that time the survey
had completed l46 miles of roads and
forty-six miles were in various stages of
construction. about SO per cent. completed.
Surveys had been made on 35l miles. The
cost Of the work done by the survey was
$l.5l7 .823.28. of which $495, ll373 was
paid by the State. Since June /, 1910,
down to January |, 1915. the Roads Com
mission has expended $508.93L63 under
the Shoemaker act, the counties paying an
equal sum. Chairman Weller of the Roads
Commission. says that this law is becom-
ing more and more popular each year and
there are now pending applications from
nearly every county in the State for the
benefit of the act.
The Legislature has appropriated for the
work Of the Roads Commission the sum of
SIS. ITO. 000-t is the sum of the road
loans, but they did not produce quite this
amount. A considerable sum was ex-
pended in the city Of Baltimore. In addi-
ton TO the amount mentioned above there
were special appropriations made for the
Baltimore Washington road and other spe-
cial services. The average cost of the
roads mile has been $9,986. or $4,000
mile in round numbers The money ap-
propriated by the Legislature was appor-
toned to the various counties according
to their road mileage. Where construction
was cheaper in county that county would
get more miles
The State roads of the Western Shore,
generally speaking, radiate from Baltimore
city. Beginning in the city. the old west :
ern pike to the western limits of the State
was taken over and improved. This great
highway passes through one of the most
fertile and picturesque sections of the
United States. 1t passes through the coun-
ties of Baltimore. Howard. Frederick. Wash
ington. Allegany and Garrett, connecting
the county seats Of all these counties
except Towson. 1t comes close 10 Mont
gomery and Carroll counties and gives
access to the large towns of the western
counties-Frederick, Haeerstown, Cumber-
land and Frostburg. 1t crosses Mason
and Dixons line into Pennsylvania about
10 miles east Of the northwest corner OF
the State. From near this point the road
is extended southwest to Oakland, the
county seat of Garrett. From Frederick a
road stretches up through the heart of the
county to Emmitsbure and another from
Frederick through the Maryland tract to
Knoxville, near Harper's Ferry, connect
ing at Knoxville with another road from
Weverton. Washington county up through
Pleasant Valley to BOonsboro. Roads also
connect Westminster. Taneytown and Man
chester and Rockville with the great west
ern road, Beginning at Ellicott City, a
road leads across Howard county into
Sandy Spring and the heart of Montgom-
cry county. Baltimore county is well COW
cred with State and Shoemaker roads.
Northeast from Baltimore road leads
through Belair to Elkton. thence south
ward, dividing and branching so as to
pass through each Of the county seats OF
the Eastern Shore. reaching all the larger
towns, one branch ending at Crisfield. neal
the southernmost point Of Maryland, and
the other on the Atlantic shore. The
southern counties of the Western Shore
are reached by a continuous road from
Baltimore through Annapolis to Drum
Point, the southern extremity of Calvert
The roads to St. Mary's. Charles and lower
Prince Georges are reached by the Balti-
more and Washington road, through Wash
ington. These are the main arteries and
they are connected here and there with
short roads leading from the main high
ways to important towns.
There are not many Of the States that
can boast Of so fine a system of roads