Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-03-12
OPEN BIDS FOR
STATE ROADS
NEW RULING OF STATE HIGH
WAY COMMISSION MAY MEAN
NO ROAD CONSTRUCTION
TO REQUIRE HARD SURFACE
Would Mean Additional Expense of
$4,000 Here.

Bids for the construction of APP
proximately ID miles of the proposed
state highway between Boomers
Ferry and the Bonner-Boundary
county boundary lines; for the con-
struction of bridges and for iron
and vitrified pipe and culverts, were
opened and considered Friday after
noon at a meeting of the county
commissioners, State Engineer H. G.
Allen, of Boise, being present to rep
resent the State Highway Commits
sion. The following bids were made
on bridge work:
c. L. Graves, Spokane, Wash,
$20,886.75: Missouri Valley Bridge
and Iron Company, Kansas City, Mo.
$20,447.75: Security Bridge Company,
Lewiston, Idaho, 19,916.50: Coast
Construction Company, Portland,
Oregon, $2O,56O.9O: illinois Steel
Bridge Company, Spokane, Wash,
$21 10000: Monson Construction
Company, Portland, Orgon, $780,
461.50.
Spokane, Wash, submitted a bid of
Campbell, of Bonners Ferry, sub
work on cost plus basis.
The bid of the Security Bridge
Company, of Lewiston, being the
lowest for bridge work, was accepted,
providing that satisfactory arrange
ments are made for the construc-
ton of the highway and subject to
the approval of the State Highway
Commission. No action was taken
in regard to the road work
While Engineer Allen was here he
stated that just recently the State
Highway Commission had made
regulation providing that hereafter
all roads taken over by the state
must be hard surfaced. If this regula-
toin is enforced in Boundary county
it will mean a road cost of 500, 400
in addition to the estimated cost of
$57, 900 prepared by the state engi-
neers. This cost will be prohibitive
Boundary county citizens are now
specializing as to whether the new
regulation of the highway commits
sion will apply to Boundary county.
1t seems this new regulation was
made because, for some reason or
other, the commission went about
100000 in the hole on road mainte-
nance work in southern Idaho.
AS a matter of fact the legislature
that voted an appropriation of
$1,000,000 for state highways and
state highway maintenance, turned
this money over to the commission
with the understanding that it would
be used under the same conditions
as have heretofore been imposed. 1t
was never contemplated that the
road building requirements of pre-
vious years should be changed. And,
as a matter of fact, all the state
highways which are now hard sur
faced have been put in this condition
at the expense of the state. But none
of this money has been spent in
Boundary county and but little of it
in Northern Idaho. 1t has been spent
in the Boise district and in Southern
Idaho.
Boundary county has paid a good
sized bill for expenses of a road bond
election and will have to pay a bill
of something like 81 400 for prelimi-
nary surveys made last year by state
engineers. The work of that part of
the proposed state highway in
Boundary county actually started
last fall when the surveys were
made, so it may be possible that the
new regulation cannot apply to
Boundary county. 1t is certain that
it would be unjust to the people Of
Boundary county when it Is consid-
cred that the bonds were voted and
all preliminary work done with a
view of building under the usual
regulations.
If the highway commission, after
spending thousands of dollars of thf
state money for roads in other parts
Of the state, can now discriminate
against Boundary county and North
ern Idaho, and arbitrarily demand