The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-08-17
VERMONT HIGHWAYS
System Under Which Recent Progress
Has Seen Made.

System Under Which Recent Progress
Has Been Made.
The good roads movement in Yer
mont started in 1899 by the law Great
ing a five per cent tax upon the grand
list of the state to be paid into the
state treasury. The tax augmented by
some other sources OF income. The
total amount thus raised was appor-
tened back TO the towns and incorpor-
Ated villages upon the basis OF road
slnileage, and paid them annually by
the state treasurer on certitieation
that certain work has been done.
Quoting from the repTtof the State
Highway Commissioner in 1904:-
THE first six years, 1892 to 1898, the
lcoseness of the law permitted poor
management and waste OF public mon
ely. Towns were financially helped
and roads somewhat improved. The
towns came to understand that each
year they were entitled to receive the
State Treasurer's check for the
amount OF their apportionment CT
! state road fund without regard to the
character of road work done
| Resulting from these conditions,
there came the law Of 1898 creating
/ the Office of State Highway Commits
sioner, who was empowered to make
rules, regulations and specifications |
for road work Improvement then cX-
listed for state supervision and for |
some eight years this condition pre-
vailed. Work i'll 2A6 towns and cities !
done by some $50 different men, go |
ing it alone" was not all it should be |
But public sentiment was being edu-
Gated. The taxpayer had before him
examples oil better reads than pre-
viously, and the possibilities of sys
tematic work under state supervision
became less of bugbear and more OF
a business proposition. SO there
naturally followed the state aid law of
1865, creating force of county super
D. visOrs Of highways working under the
state highway commissioner and also
providing for state aid fund OF $780,
600 annually The real history OF Yer
mont roads begins at this point-only
eight years ago. Since that time the
annual appropriation has increased to
$20O,000.00. This appropriation is
used only in the construction OF roads,
and the maintenance is otherwise pro-
vided for, This law alco provided for
the selection Of a network of highways
TO be known as selected highways or
as state roads. Upon these roads
only can state money be expended
Out Of the total mileage of some $1,000
miles, 1000 miles are thus selected
A comewhat unique fact in the pol
icy of the state in its road building
is that the town is the unit. and that
all work is done by the town under
the supervision and regulation of the
state. This means that in every year
and in every town. there is state road
work done upon the different links in
the highway system OF 1000 miles.
From this there chOuld result, and it
does result. nat the road system of
the state will be more uniformly in
proved than under system that
builds long stretches OF roads on
trunk lines. but leaving the radiating
branches unimproved. When it is al.
90 considered that the improvement in
each town & covering. each year, the
worst places, it can easily be imagined
that the eight years Ct state aid work
has made a wonderful change In the
character Of the roads from one end Of
the state to the other. Without civ
ing burdensome figures. II may serve
toenlarge the view Of the accomplish
ment attained by stating that from
1907 to 1918 inclusive there have been
tad places improved all over the state
on the 1000 miles Of the system
amounting to about 400 miles at a
cost OF little over three millions Of
dollar
Tho type Of read in Vermont is iha
gravel and the grGyeljoford When
properly maintained. this type OF road
e is unexcelled for pieasurablc use OF
io the tourist.
n \ map OF the state road system
= shows In two colors the 1000 miles
If covered by it. The red line roads are
the artcrial roads, while the blue line
, roads are those connecting the towns
\ with each other and with the red line
n rcad,.
II As would be naturally expected. es.
4 petial care has been taken to get the
\ red line roads in as good condition Ps
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