The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-06
Missouri State Highway Commission
err Still Thinks Toll Road Should
Be Constructed
Here.
POINTING OUT METHODS
Suggests Building Highway on a
Dump and Maintaining Same
at Minimum
Cost.

In report of the Red Ball route is
sued by Colonel Frank w. Buffum,
state highway commissioner, atten-
ton is called to the condition of the
road from Wayland to Keokuk. Col
onel Buffum in his report says that
road or allow the state to put in a
toll road. Here is the recommends
ton from the highway commissioner
ergarding the Red Ball route in this
vicinity:
From Wayland the road goes ang-
ling northeast across the Mississippi
river bottom leaving the road at Way
land which has been for miles along
the base of the bluff line, and goes
through the outer edge of the city
limits of Alexandria and on few
miles to Keokuk. There Is right in the
southern limits of Keokuk an i'm
mense quantity Of very fine rock. This
should be obtained free for this use.
and can be quarried at low price,
and put on the roads between Keokuk
and Wayland by the Keokuk Com
mercial club. But It seems that keo-
kuk would prefer to see the travel go
down from Burlington through Him
OILS, than to try to get it started down
through Keokuk It is also quite evt-
dent, that II Keokuk wishes to have
road going through their city and
to get the benefit of the very valu-
able business that good road will
bring them from the west to Kahoka
and beyond and southwest to Way
land and beyond, that 1t Is up to
Keokuk to organize and adopt some
plan to build this road, or let US es-
tablish toll road into their city.
A road like this across the Missis-
sippi river bottom, once built up on
a high dump, should be one that
would be cheaply built and main
tanned at minimum cost. The writ
er would suggest that they go a point
| further and make it a cement road,
| as they have already been figuring
on that kind Of road on that portion
| between Alexandria and Keokuk. This
| road from Wayland to Keokuk can be
| built in several ways-either under
the benefit assessment plan Of allow
ing the people adjacent to this road
to tax themselves, or by making 1t q
toll road and bringing good revenue
to the stockholders, or by Alexandria
and Wayland each forming special
road district /. and the two districts
would probably join.
How Toll Roads Work.
Toll roads are now in successful
existence in Pike, Lincoln, Boone.
Montgomery and other counties in
the state The automobile has
brought about new and different
condition. The man who lives on the
road spends certain amount of
money each year in doing road work,
and he gets his pay in toll tickets and
it costs him no more money. The
man who won't do any road work,
but makes his neighbor fix the road
for him. it is great satisfaction to
see him pay toll. The man on the
side road only uses it comparative
ly small percentage of the amount OF
travelling he does, and is always will
ing to pay toll. 1t gives the side
roads the money the county court has
had to spend on the main road. The
tourists make their routings always
to get onto a toll road system. So no
one is damaged. nobody complains.
and the conditions Of road work are
i'm proved, and the tourists and others
from distance. and the persons who
can not be reached any other way,
ana WHO Sou0Edly are "lAAuS " pdJ |
for something that is good, when they
use it, brings a large maintenance
fund.
Furthermore, It might be possible
that the road could be we'll graded UP
between Wayland and Keokuk and
get few coats Of good road oil. This
has proven to be a great success in
and around Moberly, Bolivar and 9th
or parts of the state. It can be put
on best when the roads are dry. simp-
" scraping off the dust and applying
the oil. Good results are being OBJ
tanned by simply applying the OIL not
too large an amount at a time, using
an asphaltic, and not a paratlne oil,
using the oil with a large asphaltic
base and heating the same, prefer
ably applying It In hot weather, but
for test purposes we had some put
on in Pettis county this year, as late
as October. and 1t carried the road
through the winter in fine shape, so
we are now suggesting that the last
coat be put on in October to carry
the road through the winter and
spring.