The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-08
State Highways

AS stated in the previous article
the State Trunk Highways will be
maintained by patrol maintenance
system, patrolmen being placed in
charge OF sections, certain mileage
of road. This mileage will vary. In
some places of intensive traffic it will
keep the patrOlmen busy to care for
five miles and in others a patrolman
can care for ten miles, Signs will
mark the beginning of each patrol
section, giving the name of the pa
trOlman and the number of the patrol
section. Each patrolman will wear a
suitable badge, showing his number.
The patrolmen will devote their
whole time during the maintenance
season to keeping their section of the
will be required to keep his section
well graded and drained, use the drag
and road plane when needed to keep
the surface smooth and add new ma
terial where required keep the brush
away from dangerous places, such as
sharp turns, keep the grass and weeds
cut adjacent to the road and culverts,
He will be equipped by the county
with light road grader, road plane or
drag, slip-scraper and complete out
fit. The patrolman will be required to
furnish team and wagon, work ten
hours day, furnish regular reports
to the State Highway Commission
and the County Highway Commission
er. He is expected to give information
to the travelling public and be of as
sistance to them where necessary. The
patrolman will give bond in the sum
Of $500 for the faithful performance
Of his duties.
The funds for the maintenance of
the State Trunk Highway System
are derived from the automobile Ii
cense fees and are allotted among the
counties on the basis of the State
Trunk Highway mileage in each
county. These funds remain in the
state treasury until the county demon
strates to the State Highway Com
mission that it has maintained the
titled to the funds allotted to them
This county will have available from
this fund this year the sum of $500
About 100000 will be available for
1918 throughout the state, or an aver
age of about SITS per mile, the amount
increasing from year to year as the
automobile licenses increase In addi-
have appropriated maintenance funds
Tor repair or reconstruction of por-
tons of the system and there will
probably be a total available in 1918
OF S1,200,000 for repairs and mainten-
dnce. In the past some moneys have
been spent on county maintenance,
but it is safe to say that 80 percent of
the system has not received an aver
age of $40 per mile per year for this
purpose.
The public must be patient and give
an opportunity for the patrol main
tenance system to be developed When
one considers that 500 patrolmen must
be selected, many of them new to the
work, the entire system new in Wis
consin, the bigness of the task will be
appreciated. Too much must not be
expected Immediately. 1t will take
goodly part of the season OF 1918 to get
the system marked and signed and to
train the patrolmen to give maximum
returns.
The travelling public is in a position
and should cooperate. The automobile
owner, it is true, is paying for this
maintenance, but he is the one who is
creating the demand for it. When the
system is running smoothly, 1 believe
he will be fully satisfied and even will
be willing to yield to an increase in
the automobile license fee to secure
further improvements, as it means
money in his pocket 1t is confidently.
predicted from the experience of other
states that the results of patrol main
tenance of the State Trunk Highways
will lead to it's being extended to the
county aid highway system
The next article-"Road Marking
System"