Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-12-18
The County's Highway Needs.

The County 5 highway 1tSedS-
ROCK Island county j. entitled to more in the way
81 permanent highway improvement than it Will get
u-aer the plan 10y which it is proposed to aPporton
the vora that viii be paid Tor with the proceeds OF
bonds voted At the fall election. The point that Wal
lace rreealer city engineer, and also state high
wa enefncer has raised IS well taken. Something
should be done about it before it is too late.
TINS county stands ninth outside of Cook in the
number OF votes cast at the fall election. It is one
of the most popuIous in the state and that means
mat il has great many more automobiles than the
average and more money viii be paid into the license
fuad- Al the same time owing to its peculiar geo
granny it viii take comparatively few miles Of hard
roads to connect the county with its borders at
points nearest TO the capitals Of adjoining counties
Ia road is built to Aledo it will bsect the lower end
o. this county the narrow way north and south. II
there is one to Cambridge it Will be short one
from slyiz to the Colona bridge across Rock river
ana one to yghteside county probably would follow
the Rock River valley route from the limits OF the
former village O. Watertown to Hillsdale. E1cep-
iionauy poor provision is made for the west end
Of Rock Island county, which has railroad and is
IN especial need Of one OF more permanent high
ways
The average county. with the seat of government
somewhere near its center viii be bisected through
the full length breadth, the resulting mileage
OF course depending upon the size, but being Tar
greater. almost without exception in proportion to
area and population. than Rock Islands Will be.
If this county had no better case than dictated
by selfish dissemination to see some other com
Inunity equally deserving, get more than it will get
it would not be worth while to raise the issue but
Justice fortunately is on its side and the side OF
every other county in the that is in like cir
cumstances.
The fact is that the more populous districts,
which naturally have the most autos and heavy
contributors to the license fund also have the great
est need Tor improved roads Their highways receive
harder and more constant usage and are more com
monty found in poor repair. ASK any motorist who
has Travelled outside Of his county and state and
he Will tell you that he finds the worst roads ad-
5acent to the sizeabe cities Nothing but perman-
eut hard road viii stand up under the traffic on the
main approaches to towns Of 10000 or more and
there are few such towns in Illinois where suburban
roads are paved
Rock Island county ought to have, among the
first projects not only the road improvements men
toned, but one also from Rock Island to Musca-
tine. With the one planned from Watertown to
Hlsdale and the pavemens of the cities this would
give continuous permanent highway from end
Df the to the other. and that would be pretty
good start No scheme for improvement that does
not take the lower end of the county considera-
ton should be entertained for a moment
AS one Of the big sources of highway revenue a
county with a large population and heavy traffic
and with topography which makes highway construc-
ton and maintenance unusually expensive Rock Is
land is euuuedto special consideration the hands
Of the state highway authorities If it wakes up and
asserts itself undoubtedly it viii get it.