The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-21
EFFICIENT MAN BEHIND ROAD BUILDING FOR CONNECTICUT
 HIDES LIGHT UNDER BUSHEL
New Bridge Work Planned.


 For the coming year, the depart ment has plans for the reconstructlon of still more bridges. Some are now under way or in process of completlon and others will be commenced with the warm weather, or the settlement of details with the towns.
 Big Bridges Building.
 At the present time a bridge is be- ing constructed in tn town of West port of which the total cost to town, county and state will be $16O,OOO- The department also contemplates the con- struction of a bridge between Derpy and Shelton at a cost of $25o,Oo0 or which the state will pay $7,OOO. the counties of New Haven and Fairfield $70i00O and the trolley company $lOOOO and the towns of Derby and Shetton the remaining $40,OOO divided equally. One In Windsor.
 A new bridge is planned to be built over the Pennington river at Wind sor to replace the covered wooden bridge which has long been menace to autOiStS travelling on the west Slde of the river and which will be chiefly remembered by the terrific bumps which one got at each end of it. The cost of the new structure. will be about $25, 900 divided equally between the state and the town of Windsor
 To Eliminate Death-Trap. | The Windsor death trap, fearsome place. is also to be- eliminated at a cost of $100, 900, half of which is to be paid by the state and th1- balance by the town of Windsor, the trolley com pany and the N. Y, N. H. & H. R. R. company. This is undoubtedly the worst and most dangerous spot that can be found in a, day of autoing. The road besides being curved like w lhaS. steep descendin-~ grades towards the middle angle, which is very mar row and is covered by a bridge sup porting the railroad tracks. To com plete the hazard, a, trolley line runs alongside of the road and under the railroad bridge.
 In addition to this big construction work, many small bridges are being built in various towns of the state, some of them being hardly more than culverts, while others are quite sizable and important.
 One of the most important duties which faces, the highway department this summer is the preparation for the general assembly of 1917 of data on the reconstruction If the railroad bridge across the Thames river at New London. This bridge was built by the New Haven railroad and given ito the state when the new railroad bridge was built. The highway de- partment was directed to study the bridge and to report on it's reconstruc- tion, $5,000 being appropriated for the purpose. Not only it's own engineers but outside experts have been called in by the department to make studies of the reconstruction possibilities. The 1917 legislature, which receives the re- port, may make the appropriation nec- essary to complete thee work.
 The legislature of 1915 made an ap- propriation for the maintenance and reconstruction of trunk lines of $500, 600 year or $1 O00, GOO for the tW years commencing Oct 1,-e19f5 The receipts from auto fees are also used on<trunk k line repairs, and amount this year to about $500, ,0O0, thus making available about $1, ,10O, 900 for repairs and recon struction of trunk line highways dur ing the year.
 This sum is to be divided into the following items
 Maintenance and oi1ing $65o. 900