Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-12-27
Progress of the Highway Move
ment i'm Wisconsin in
1918
FIRST YEAR PROVES
PATROL SYSTEMS VALUE
Coming Year Will Be Greatest Year i'm
States History For Road
Improvement

by E. n. Cannon Executive Secre-
tary Good Roads Association, Wis
cOnsin
ParadOxial as it may seem, although
less money was spent and less con-
struction was done on the highways of
Wisconsin in 1913 than in several
years, the main highways of the state
were never in better condition than
during this year. Tourists who have
Travelled extensively all verify this
fact.
The cause of this seeming paradox is
found in the fact that because of condi-
tions growing out of the war construc-
ton work was radically cut down-but
this war far more than offset by the in
auSuratiOn Of a system of patrol maln-
tenance on the 5000 miles of State
Trunk Highways. This meant that
some work of improvement was done
on practically every mile of the State
Trunk Highway System. Prior to this
year. under the State Aid Act, there
was no system of patrol maintenance,
but very little maintenance OF any
limited to construction, done in piece
meal way Oh small stretches of road,
while practically nothing was done on
the balance of the highway.
The year 1913 vii be noted as the be-
ginning of a new era in higi, lay work
in Wisconsin. 1t marked definite
advancement in the fact that the State
Trunk Highway Law became opera
tive, and the State Aid Law, while the
state had certain powers Of superyis-
ion and assisted financially, the county
was the unit of highway construction
and scattered sections of road were be-
ing built from the local point of view
Maintenance was a negligible quantity
The State Trunk Highway Act this
year accomplished these three things.
1t placed 5000 miles of our main
trunk highways under a system of pa
troll maintenance, which meant that
these highways were divided into
patrol sections, with patrolman in
charge of each section, paid monthly
salary. and devoting his whole time to
keeping his section in condition It
meant the removal of a number of real
road terrorS. and a system Of highways
III fairly adequate condition under nor
NAL weather conditions and passable
for traffic Although, of course, this
exCepts certain sand road areas and
certain heavy grades which require
either construction or grading Jobs of
ioI,
bic under this years war conditions.
1t meant the placing. on the State
Trunk Highways. of a standardized
marking system. with which the public
is now fairly familiar. and giving Wis
consin the best marked highway sys-
tenn in the country.
1t meant a limited amount of con-
struction on certain bad sections of
main highways, the amount being linn
tied by conditions growing out of the
war.
In the matter OF maintenance. $50
patrolmen were on the job caring for
from six to twelve miles each The to-
tai amount spent on patrol mainten-
anCe was $1,200000, or $240 per mile.
OF this the state contributed $1,00S,000,
this money coming from the automobile
license fees, and the counties voted
$4,000.
In the matter of construction, the
total spent on State Aid construction
was Approximately $2,400,000 and on
State Trunk Highway construction
approximately $1000,000. On the
State Aid work 365 miles of road were
simply graded and drained, 116 miles
were constructed with a crushed stone
surface. ia miles with a gravel sur
face. 81 miles with concrete, and "a
miles with other materials. A total
of 124 State Aid bridges were built
costing $254,000 or about $2,050 each
The number Of County Aid bridges
constructed was 546 at cost of
$4,000.
Summing it up, war conditions iald
a restrictive hand on highway i'm
provements in this state this year in
cutting down highway constructor.
Despite that, by the system of patrol
maintenance, our main highways were
put in better condition than ever be-
fore. 1t was lucky for Wisconsin that
State Highway Engineer Hirst had
the forethought to provide for this pa
troll maintenance. Ita offsets the loss
brought on by restricted construction.
None of our neighboring states had de-
vised this system of maintenance and
with the war limitations on construc-
ton, the result on their highways was
obvious. AS matter of fact, the pa
troll maintenance system in Wisconsin