Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-20
WORK ON HIGHWAYS
TO START SOON
Philadelphia Pike and Penny Hill
Among First Projects That
Will be Undertaken.

Probably beginning in the upper por-
tion of the State, the work of improving
highways by the State Highway Com
mission will begin about May |. II is
expected the first bids will be awarded
by April |.
The Philadelphia pike and Penny Hill
projects will be among the first under
taken and To safeguard the transporta-
tion of materials the government will
be asked To give IFS aid.
At meeting of the Highway Commls-
sion to bc held in few days il is expectep
that plans prepared by Chief Engineer
Charles NJ. Upham for the rebuilding
of the Philadelphia pike from this city
to the Pennsylvania line and the rcduc-
tion of Penny Hills difficulties will bc
submitted for approval and bids asked
this initial operation IN connection with
the Improvement of the highways through
out the State TO be tas two units.
NJ the same time bids may he asked
for the construction Of the road IN Kent
county from SMYRNA To Dover and IN
Sussex county somewhere on the western
line. rs recommended by Engineer Up
ham, so as To touch tidcwatrr
The detailed report OF Engineer p
ham which was presented to the High
way Commission on January Z has not
been acted upon by the members, but
this will likely he done Mt the coming
meeting which will be called by Gov-
ernor John G. Townsend, chairman
LABOR INTERrEREs WITH WAR
In discussing the project, Josiah Mar
vel, the member of the COMMISSION from
rural New Castle county, said that Win
out war, the work could bc done within
two or three wears making Delaware one
of the best roaded States III the thon.
With the country at war and affecting
labor, transportation and other things
when the project viii be- carried 10 com
rlction is pruhicmaucal.
The commission. Mr. Marvel said,
viii urge the government TO safeguard
bidders for contracts 50 far n the matter
of transportation facilities - concerned,
and with this assurance gwen, II ls felt
that one obstacle born Of the war VIII bc
removed
During the past week or So there has
been an agitation, more or less limited,
in favor of having n special session of
tho Legislature called To annul the state
income tax law for duration Of the war
rs a part of the tax goes to the State high
u,
that those affected by its provisions could
,isr their money in aiding the govern
ment by the purchase Of Liberty bonds
and in other ways The idea IN connec-
ton with this agitation would ho to drop
the highway project until after the war
Mr.. Marvel expressed the opinion
that the State Highway Commission
would fight any such attempt, and rnlter-
haf H.
WAYS arc essential in times OF war.
PROGRAM or WORK.
The program of work outlined by En-
gineer Upham deals with the roads recon-
mendcd by the chief engineer as the first
to be converted into State highways. The
list has been published in accordance
with the law creating the highway depart
mcnt in newspapers IN all three counties
and is as follows:
Philadelphia pike from Wilmington
TO PENNSYLVANIA State line.
Concord pike from VII mington to
PENNSYLVANIA State line
kennett pike from Wilmington 10 Penn
Sylvana State line.
Lancaster pike from Wilmington 70
PENNSYLVANIA State line.
Road between Wilmington and Mary
land State line via Newark and Marshall
ton
Newport pike as far as Stanton.
New Castle road between Wilmington
and New Castle
The road between Newark and Smyrna.
passing through or near Summit Bridge
and Middletown.
The road between Wilmington and
Blackbird, passing through or near
Red Lion. St Georges and Odessa
The road between Summit Bridge and
Red Lion.
The road between Smyrna and Dover.
The road between Dover and Delmar,
passing through or near Camden, FELTON,,
Harrington, Greenwood. Bridgeville, Sea-
ford and Laurel.
The road between Dover and Reho-
both. passing through or near Frederlcs,
Magnolia. Milford, Milton and LeSes.
A roa-i from the present du Pont road
near Ehendale 10 the Dover-Rehoboth
road and connecting near Milford.
The members of the State Highway
Commission are Governor Townsend
chairman; Joseph f. Holland, Sussex
county: Walter o. Hoffecker, Kent
county: Josiah Marvel, rural New Castle
county, and T. c. du Pont, Wilmington.