Evening journal., 1918-01-16
Want PORT ON Of.
TURNPIKE REBUILT
County Engineer Wilson
Asks State Highway Com
m ssion TO do Work
HEAVY TRAFFIC
CUT UP ROAD

County Engineer James Wilson. at the
aeetins OF the Levy Court yesterday,
laid before the commissioners the ne
cessity Of building at least part o. the
Philadelphia turnpike this year. setting
forth the need Of this because OF the in
creased traffic over The road and the
necessity Of 1t from military stand
point
Engineer Wilson's communication
was referred 10 the state Highway En-
glneer for his consideration before II is
set before the highway commission.
The letter follows;
The Levy Court OF New Castle County,
Wilmington, Delaware.
Gentlemen -
beg 10 present TO your honorable
body the few following facts in re-
gard to the Philadelphia Turnpike
with the hope that you and the gen.
eral pubic's attention may be so call
ed 30 It that oil may agree on the ne
cessty Of rebuilding at least o part IT,
not all Of II, this year. II our State
Highway Commission can be assured
Of the endorsement Of the general pub
lie and encouraged TO undertake this
project now. feel that they can and
will overcome the difficulties in the
way Of immediate construction. During
the last three years the motor traffic
on this road has increased at least
three per cent; the truck traffic Ave
hundred per cent, and the load per
truck two hundred per cent. so that
Il has passed from the stage Of a rural
and tourist road 10 a commercial road
and is now rapidly becoming O military
highway and a war necessity with the
probability in the near future Of be-
coming a mail road, carrying the early
morning papers from Philadelphia TO
Wilmington and beyond.
Within the last few days a train OF
forty-six military motor truck was
taken over our roads on trial trip,
coming from the state line at Clay
mont to this city In about .hirty min
utes and the next day going from
Wilmington via Elsmere and the new
Lincoln highway through Newark 10
the Maryland line IN one hour and
quarter. The success OF this trip will
undoubtedly lead to many more such
trains coming this way and make OF
this road not merely a very important
State road, but very important part
Of a National Military Highway lead
ing directly north and south along the
Atlantic seaboard. Probably no other
slx-mile link in any road system in the
United states Is now Of more import
ance to the nation than this one,
A very fair grade, considerably less
than the grade Of McKees Hill now
surfaced with Hillside bricks and
from which no complaints have been
received, can be secured from the bot
tom Of Penny Hill, one Of the worst
on this road, TO the top, requiring, IL
/ Is truet Q very drastic rock cut, but
/ from which sufficient stone can be
| secured to lay a six-lnch concrete road
/ base IS feet wide, a distance Of over
/ three miles There are other stone
quarrles along this road TO the Penn
sylvanla state line which, II not placed
at The disposition Of the county or
state authorities at reasonable price,
can be, by state law, condemned for
The use Of the public road instead Of
using up our stone for the ILLS and
embankments. Of Penny Hill should
we not have sufficient dirt from the
grading, from close haul borrow pits.
feel sure we could arrange with the
Wilmington and Philadelphia Tr8c-
ton Company to transport us at a
reasonable price the large pile Of sur
plus cnders which they have already
generously offered ms free The cement,
sand, brick and other material can be
transported in cars other than those
now commandeercd by the National
Priority Board
There remains then. the cost Of the
work and labor These two items can
only definitely be known through ask
Ing proposals for the work but / think
we can get bids at a reasonable advance
on last summers prices.
Some five years ago when this road
was taken over by the county, 10 was
a turnpike which did not meet the de-
mands then without much complaint
During The first year. as there was no
money In the county budget TO recon
struct or maintain IL, no improvements
could be made and under the tranlc az
that time It very rapidly deteriorated
even from the state In which 10 was re-
ceived. Since that time s25.O00 has been
spent on 70, with the result that two
and one-half miles. which was .resur-
faced with four inches OF stone and
oiled, Is In fair condition, but the hills
generally are not in good condition, es-
pecially Penny Hill and the stretch from
I Shellpot 10 the city line. on account
OF the trolley track on the south this
latter part has TO bear the strain OF the
entire traffic on a narrow strip, and be-
cause Of the lack OF a proper strip, ana
because Of the lack Of a proper grade,
the rain water is not drained from the
road surface. so that all repairs TO 10
have been useless after short time.
/ Now, with the increasing volume Of
trafllc and the character thereof, the
/ maintenance promises TO be so proper
/ tionately heavy each succeeding year,
/ that his fact alone seems TO warrant
/ reconstruction.
In his comprehensive report the
/ state engineer has placed the Philadel-
TEnRO nnIIn N00M