The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1917-01-19
FAST AND WEST HIGHWAY PRO.
POSED FOR KENTUCKY

Frankfort, KY, January IA
trunk line public highway from the
Mississippi river to the Big Sandy
river may be constructed through
Kentucky with the money furnished by
the Federal Government. This trunk
line would be cut by lateral trunk
lines, six In number. giving Kentucky
the most complete system of high
ways Of any state in the Union.
The Secretary of Agriculture at
Washington asked Rodman Wiley,
Commissioner of Public Roads, for
scheme for using Federal aid which
comes to Kentucky under an act pass
ed by the last session of Congress
Realizing that there has been project
ed four or five North and South High
ways. Commissioner Wiley decided
that an East and West Highway was
most desirable. This highway would
extend from Wickliffe in Ballard
County to Ashland in Boyd County.
If the entire federal aid apportion-
ment Is not used up in the construc-
ton of this East and West Highway,
Commissioner Wiley is in favor of
next building road extending from
Henderson to Hopkinsville; third
from Bardstown to Louisville; fourth
from Winchester to Whitesburg and
thence to the Virginia line; fifth from
Covington to Lexington; sixth from
Lexington to Middleboro and thence
to the Tennessee line and seventh
from Ashland to Pineville. All of the
projects intersect the main East and
West highway. 1t will require three
or four years to complete the East and
West highway, and nothing will be
done on the other projects until the
main line is completed.
In 1914 the Legislature of this State,
realizing the possibility of the Federal
Government extending aid to the Pub
lie Roads, passed law which allows
the State Commissioner of Public
Roads, with the approval of the Board
of Sinking Fund Commissioners, to CO.
operate with the Federal Government
in whatever way prescribed by the
United States law to the end that Ken
lucky States law to the end that Ken
lucky might receive her full quota of
Federal aid.
The last session of Congress passed
a bill extending Federal aid to the
various states of the Union, and one
of the terms of the law is that the
money must be expended through a
state highway department. In other
words, that is the smallest unit that
the Government considers in the ad-
ministration of Federal aid Appor-
tionments are made to the various
states on the basis of population, area
and number of miles of roads, and
on this basis, Kentucky was allotted
for 1916 something over $4,000 and
for 1917 about $l95,OOO, and in a
period of five years, which covers the
Federal Aid Road Law, Kentucky will
receive something like $l,42O,OOO.
1t is the aid of the Department of
Public Roads to figure out a scheme
whereby all of the counties of the
State will be benefited by Federal and
even though the road does not pass
through that county This will be done
by figuring Federal aid in conjunction
with State aid, which will mean that
the road fund will be increased over
previous years and other counties will
receive more State aid apportionment
than they have previously received.
Commissioner of Public Roads
Wiley believes that it would be I'M
wise to try to apportion the Federal
aid to the various counties and bet
ter scheme would be to expend the
money on some trunk line road. These
trunk line roads will pass through the
best sections of the State.