American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-12-21
COST OF CRAWLING ROADS
LESS THAN PAID BY STATE
Cost Is $1,000 Mile on Rockland Road
travelling West and North Of
Town VIII Begin Next Week-Haul-
Ing Donated.

Wanted-One or more gravel beds.
conveniently located, by Commission
ers of Highway District No. 1; and
wanted badly, and right now.
When this county was made nearly
all the gravel had been used. and on
ly good farm land with enough lava
rock to hold it down, remained. Con-
sequently the commissioners of High
way District No. l are up against it
for surfacing material. They are Sc
curing gravel from deposit near
Neeley to surface two miles of the
Rock,and road beginning at the juno
tion of the Rockland road with the
state highway, and extending to the
reservoir. The hauling of gravel long
distances is expensive, and if other
deposits are found near the Rockland
road, say in the vicinity of Little
Creek, the commissioners believe they
will be able to surface all the Rock
land read during 1917.
Two yards of gravel make a good
load, and it requires 1000 loads to
surface mile OF road, using eight
inches of gravel in the center and
sloping to three or four inches at the
edges. The cost of hauling is about
80 cents per yard where the haul is
mile or less, and 35 cents from one
to two miles. So that if anyone is
thinking of discovering a gravel bed
he should carefully consider the To-
cation,
The gravel now being used costs
nothing, but the cost of getting it out
is heavy. 1t lies in small pockets,
and considerable stripping is neces-
sary. With gravel accessible in
abundance, the cost of surfacing the
roads would be materially lessened.
But as 1t is, the commissioners of
Highway District No. are providing
the state highway department with
an example of efficiency and economy.
Two miles of the state highway were
gTaveled from the same pit, the haul
being almost exactly the same as in
the local highway district. The cost
for the state highway for the two
miles was $4,000. The cost for the
two miles of local highway. using
gravel to the same thickness, will not
miss $4,000 more than $50.
Next week the commissioners ex-
pect to begin gravelng the roads west
and north of town, through the sand.
Beginning at the Drake corner they
will go west past the Giffin place; and
starting at the intersection of the
Aberdeen road with the road leading
west, graveling will probably extend
to the WINNER corner. The gravel
ing of these roads will be much more
expensive than the Rockland road, be-
cause the gravel will have to be pur-
chased, costing in the neighborhood
of dollar yard. 1t will be dredged
from the river bottom by Nelson G.
Christensen, and transported on scows
and unloaded near the bridge. Far
mers have volunteered to haul about
500 loads of this gravel, when return
ing home empty, without charge. How
many miles of road can be graveled
will depend upon how much of such
hauling the farmers are willing to do.
The commissioners are anxious to
gravel as much road as possible, yet
they do not want to make a tax levy
that will be burdensome. The COM
missioners will provide the gravel and
smooth it when dumped, and will ap-
preciate offers to haul it, by farmers
living along either road, as they are
returning from town.