The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-10-07
MUCH INTEREST IN
MEETING Of STATE
ROAD DEPARTMENT

/ Tallahassee, Oct. 6.-Considerable
interest is being manifested through
| out the state IN the coming annual
meeting of the state road department
especially as the department has ex-
tended invitations to each of the
boards of county commissioners of
the fifty-four counties to be repre-
sented at the meeting.
| The annual meeting of the depart
ment is to be held at the state capital
on Wednesday, October 10, and in in
viting the counties to send represen-
! tatives to this meeting Chairman Ed.
! Scott of the state road department
] said: This department desires to
cooperate with the board of county
commissioners of each county as far
as practicable, and would be pleased
to ascertain your views as to the as
sistance this department may be able
to render your county in road con-
struction. Please let us know if we
may expect you to be represented.
Since the adjournment of the 1917
session of the legislature of Florida
the state road department has been
busy arranging the work of the de-
partment for the next year under the
z,
the legislature. At the same time
the division and field engineers have
been rendering quite number of
counties assistance in making surveys
and preparing specifications and esti-
mates of the cost of construction of
various roads. Quite a number of
these roads are included in the pro-
jects upon which the department ex-
poets to secure federal aid funds to
assist in the construction of.
Among the surveys that nave been
made and for which specifications
and estimates have been or are being
prepared are those IN Hamilton coun-
ty on the North and South highway
extending from Georgia state line via
Jennings, Jasper and White Springs
to the Columbia county 1.-Two where it
is to connect with the road extending
southwark through Lake City and
down the middle of the state through
Gainesville. Ocala, Orlando, Kissin-
NEE and on down to Fort Myers.
During the past year surveys have
been made by the engineers of the
state road department for the i'm
provement of roads in Manatee, Hills
boro, Osceela, Volusia. Putnam, JEFF
ferson, Alachua, Baker, and Gadsden
counties and reconnaissance surveys
has just been made in Jackson, Cal
houn and Franklin counties with
view to assisting these counties IN
the construction of 4 road to connect
Marianne. the county seat of jackson
county with Blountstown, the county
seat of CalhCIn county and Apalachl-
cola, the county seat of Franklin
county. This road will extend from
Blountstown to Port ST Joe and
IL oh an6 from
Blountstown to Mariana where 1t
will connect with the Old Spanish
Trail.
Another reconnaissance surrrr re-
Gently made was over the route of
road to connect Bristol, the county
seat of Liberty county. with Quincy,
the county seat of Gadsden county,
or. with Tallahassee, the state capital.
The prospects are bright for the con-
struction of this road at an early
date.
The plans of the department. Tor
the proposed bridge across the Apa-
lachicola river at Chattahoochee, have
been approved by the chief engineer
of the United States office of pubic
roads and rural engineering. 1t IS
proposed to use at least S42,oO0 OF
federal aid funds to assist the coun-
ing the cost of this bridge, which
will be the connecting link between
West Florida and the rest of the
state. All of the work will be under
the supervision of the state road de-
partment The federal aid act pro-
vides that all work on which federal
aid is expended must be under the
control and supervision of the state
road department of the state in which
such work is carried on.
At the annual meeting of the state
road department reports will be made
showing just what has been accom-
plished by the department during the
past year and also what work has
been mapped out for the coming year.
The attendance of the county commits |
sioners at this meeting will do much
to make clear the departments pro-
gram for 1918 in the various counties