The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-26
HOPE To EXPEDITE
REDOlNG- -EAST0N
TRUNK HIGHWAY
Act of Legislature Is Re.
quired to Amend Very
Faulty Layout

| -
Redding, Jan. 25-The straighten-
ing and early completion Of the trunk
line which will afford an improved
highway from .Danbury to Bridgeport
across Redding Ridge is the purpose
of a special act introduced in the Leg
islature this week by Representative
s. c.. Shaw. AS Highway Com. Ben
nett, following a conference with Mr..
Shaw on Tuesday, expressed his ap-
prevail of the measure there is every
reason to expect it's passage. Such
bill was necessary to connect the un-
accountable blunder in the layout Of
the proposed trunk thoroughfare
made by former Com. Macdonald. In
stead of extending the line due north
ward from the Ridge and at the Five
Points carrying it over either Sum
set Hill or the Putnam Park road he
made right angled turn at Ep1sco-
pal church corner, thence following
the cross road to Redding Center and
connecting there by another right
angled turn with the north and south
road through hometown to Bethel.
This diversion heightened the route
by about two miles over two long ana
steep hills whereas the direct way was
not only shorter but vastly preferable
as to grade. No one has ever oeen
! able to explain the reason for this
piece of freak engineering, but mas
much as it had been done at one
mans .dictum it could only be I'M
! done by authority of the Legislature
hometown residents may oppose the
proposed change although they Will
! have no\ good cause for so doing as
their new road will have State aid to-
wards keeping it in repair,
| The first section of the line under
consideration was built about fifteen
years ago over the hill above Pine
j Tree corner Under subsequent ap-
| preparations it was carried about two
miles north to the Five Points. AT
this stage of development Conn., Mac
donald designated it as a trunk line
in connection with the building of the
hometown road two miles to- the west
thereby failing to apply the deslgna-
: ton to about a mile of the lately con-
structed Ridge highway. Afterwards
the road built in Easton by the
Bridgeport Hydraulic Co. as the sue
cessor of the old Black Rock turn
pike was made trunk line and this
will form part Of the trunk route In
which this town is so much interest
ed The gap to be filled consist OF
! the stretch from Pine Tree corner TO
a point about a mile below the foot
! of Jump Hill and from the Five
/. Points to Bethel. For the latter sec
<tion the route over Sunset Hill is gen.
erally favored as against the Park
road route, the main objection to the
former being the cost Of proper
southern approach, as the existing
II roadway on the slope would probaoly
be discarded on account Of the grade
and sharp bend. The construction OF
a new approach would involve a deep
4 fill. AS an offsetting disadvantage
1 the Park road route would mean
considerable outlay for widening.
Absorption of real estate in this To-
cality by the Bridgeport Hydrauhc
i Co. continues steadily, several par
cells having been acquired by pur-
chase within a week and number
Of other transactions being in the
works. The Rock House \brook ter
ritory was cleaned up recently by the
ACQUISITION of sixty acres OF swamp
1 from Philo Lyon and of small trace
from Frank Tucker. In the Pleas
ant Valley section further north the
company is negotiating for twenty
acres owned by w. G. Sanford and ten
acres belonging to Mrs. Henry San
| ford, both Of them lying along the
Aspetuck river. A report that the
large holdings of Theron Plat in the
HONEYWELL district. were also being
sought is authoritatively denied, 9
+ representative of the company say
ing that the eighty acres obtained
from Mr.. Plat last summer is all o.
his territory on which they had pres
| ent designs.
The property of Ella Doran, also ii
the HopeWel district, is among the
parcels lately secured by the com
pany. Their present activities com
prise steps towards the acqulremen
of Me land adjacent to the small
brook which starts on southern!
course at the Ridge and turns east
ward above Jump Fill in taking {
course towards the Aspetuck river
: On it's lower stretch it flows through
land owned by A. L. Livermore
whichis not included in the 800 acre
which he recently sold the company
other owners along the stream ar
H. C. Mcclellan, Randolph Bradley
John Carroll and r. A. Lyon. Ther
have been no further purchases latel
along the Sunnyside river. The Lit
tie river property owners from tn
lower part of Sanfordtown to Put
nam Park have not yet been ap
preached, but are in expectation o
overtures.
The towns grand list this year foot
up s1.743,509 as against total OF 81
75S. 71S. These are the figures com
piled from the valuations fixed by th'
assessors. Last year the board OF re
lief made reductions amounting t.
about 81 900. What this years relic
board will do remains to be seen. blu
the lists of the two years, as revised
will probably not be far apart.
The announcement by the Danbur.
Electric Light Co. practically rejecting
the proposition for the extension of it
service to the Ridge and the Center il
this town caused no surprise. Sub
scriptions for only $4,000 worth OF ser
vice annually had been pledged where
as the company wanted $4,000 The.
are willing to extend the system t
the town line and deliver curren
there at a stated price, leaving tn
further extension and the attendan
financing to the local promoters. A
the estimated cost Of the lines is abou
$21, 900, the conditions named are fel
to be prohibitive and after severa
months Of agitation the project ha