The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-14

The effort now being made for the
construction of a long distance road
between TonganoMe and Kansas City
originated with farmers along the pro-
posed road and the citizens of Tongan-
oXie. The good roads spirit struck
Tonganoxie shortly after the little city
had finished paving its main street
last fall. 1t is the second town in the
state Of 1000 population or less, to
cOrsummate such an improvement
Farmers who had seen the effect
on land values in Jackson county, MIS-
souri,, as a result of hard roads and
the convenience of the same to the
farmers, were among the first to boost
for a highway that can be used 365-
days of the year. And the citizens OF
TonganoXie, who realized the BENEFITS
of being in a city surrounded by a
hard surface road took hold of the
proposition with considerable enthu-
SiaSm.
A Movie Show.
| Several weeks ago the city of Ton
ganoxie gave big dinner largely at
tended by interested land owners, and
| during the afternoon a local picture
house gave the use of it's house for a
display of slides showing the differ
ence between good and bad roads. In
terest in this meeting was easily slim
ulated among the farmers.
After the lecture and pictures, a
!
ing questions and others giving in
| formation. At the close of the meet
ing a petition was circulated proVid-
ing for the construction of hard sur
face road and many signatures were
obtained. This meeting has led to a
rivalry between two roads from Ton
ganoxie to Kansas City which is a help
rather than hindrance to the real
ization of the project.
Meeting at Basehor.
second concrete road meeting was
held at Basehor few days later, a
still later a meeting for the same pur-
pose was held at Lawrence. The
fourth meeting was held at Bonner
Springs a few days ago.
The proposed road is to be built
under the Hodges road law, and a
benefit district of one and a half
miles on each side of the highway
is stipulated in the petition. The
route will cover eleven and a half
miles of sixteen feet wide concrete
paving on country roads and one-half
mile of concrete street paving in Ton
ganoXie. The estimated cost of the
work is $4,000 per mile and one
fourth of the expense falls on the
township in which the road is built.
The other three-fourths is borne by
the land owners on each side of the
road in the stipulated benefit dis
trict, The county builds all the
bridges necessa ry, costing over $500
and may do the grading if the county
commissioner so will. The twelve
miles of paving proposed reaches the
Wyandotte county line on what is
known as the parallel road running
west out of Kansas City and which is
macadamized to a point two miles
from the county line. The board OF
county commissioners of Wyandotte
county has agreed to finish the road
to the county line this season.
The intent of the boosters for the
concrete road is to continue the road
to Lawrence and Topeka. 1t is in
tended to have a spur of the road
built to Lansing which already has g
brick road to Leavenworth. This will
give Leavenworth a hard road to To
peka, Lawrence, Tonganoxie and Kan
sas City, and may put all these town:
on the Transcontinental highway nov
being built.
If the road is ultimately constructed
on the lines laid out, all the prominen
towns in the eastern part of the stat,
| will be closely and directly connected
: with roads that can be travelled ever,
: day in the year, and the roads will
reach more points of interest ant
more markets in the state than an,
structed in Kansas with so little mile
l age. The road from Lawrence t,
Kansas City by way of Tonganoxi,
5 and Basehor is no longer than tn,
Golden Belt route and has fewer baC
hills than the established Kaw vale,
road. The Tonganoxie route also ha.
the advantage that it cannot be rem
: dered useless by the occasional flood
/ in the kaW valley