Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-31

| county DTluRcS, SOHstIuStlOh VI
state aid bridges and the admins
tration of the motor vehicle tax
laws.
| In cooperation with the county
commissioners and supervisors, we
have laid out a system of roads con-
Meeting all the county seats in the
state, and the last Legislature des-
ignated these roads as a state high
way system by statute and provided
that after January /, 1920, three
fourths of all the motor vehicle
taxes should be used under the di-
rection of the department of public
works for the maintenance of this
system.
Much Federal Aid.
The federal government has ap-
propriated $5,S00,000 for road con-
struction in the state Of Nebraska,
and the state has appropriated 49,
100000 to be/expended under the
direction of the, department of pub
| lie works.
During the last four months, we
have awarded road contracts aggre-
eating $2,500,000 and have 100000
worth of work to let the last week
in September.
In addition to the above men
toned projects, we expect to have
work started in each country of the
state by April /, 1920.
While organizing for the \ con-
struction of 4,500 miles OF road. it
is only natural that we would have
large number of difficult prob
lens to work out. The greatest
obstacle that we have had to deal
with is the shortage of contractors
and in order to carry out the work,
it has been necessary to organize
construction crews in several coun-
ties as contractors were not avail
able. Another difficulty we fire.
quently have is whenever.plans for
new road are announced. it is
human nature for those who live
along the way, either to bring pres
sure to, bear to have the thorough
fare constructed in front of their
door, or else to force the highway
department to make detours in order
to save cutting through a piece of
PROPERTY.
Perhaps no single feature of road
work has caused the state highway
department as much trouble as
those two problems-that of want
ing the highway to pass along my
door, and that of securing ade
quate rights of way properly To-
Gated.
Such policy always reacts
against the owner in the long run,
since the more direct the road and
the better locatedj the greater the
travel will be and the less the cost
of maintenance. 1t follows, that in
creased property values will more
than offset concessions made to the
state.
Unfortunately, we are not all full
ly educated to proper understand
ing of this phase of road work and
our main roads are usually full of
kinks and offsets. e.,
Impairs Roads Usefulness.
Not only does it impair the use
fulness of the road, but it adds con-
siderably to the factor of danger,
for frequent abrupt curves are made
necessary by these detours.
Several bond issues have been
voted. The largest is Douglas
county where preparations have
started for paving lis miles of
roads recently ordered by the vot-
ers of Douglas county. The roads
to be paved at this time are those
outlined in the agreement of the
|, commissioners before the election.
Probably not more than 100000
will be raised this year. and most
of this is to be spent on the paving
of the Lincoln Highway, the o. L. D.
and the military road out of Flor
ence. 1t is probable that the paving
will be of brick or concrete, and, &C
cording to standard state specihca-
tons.
As other counties adjacent have
tpromised that work done on the
main highways leading into those
counties will be pushed immediate
ly, and since Dodge county has
promised to carry on the paving of
the Lincoln Highway from, the
border of Douglas county to a
point seven miles west of Fremont,
the result will be a continuous paved
connected road in the eastern half
of the state within a short time.
Three Miles Paved Roads.
At the present time, Douglas
county has three miles of paved road
in good condition. Twenty and
one-half miles will be repaved un-
der the $3.000,000-bond issue, while
81 miles are laid out to be surfaced
Douglas county's apportionment
of state and federal aid will be used
with the $4,000, 900 bond fund and all
of the work will be done under the
direction of the department of pub
lie works.
k In order to facilitate the work,
The department of public works has
divided the state in FIVE divisions
The first division includes the coun-
ties in the southeastern part of the
state. The total appropriation of
this entire area amounts TO $780,
5000
The second division includes all
the counties east of Cherry, turning
at Antelope, Madison and Platte
counties, and thence east on the ]
north side of the Platte river to the
Missouri river. M. F. Black is the
division engineer, with headquarters
at Norfolk. This has a total of
$2,7l4,524.03 to expend for road pur-
poses under the fve-year appor-
tionment.
Division three is located in the
southwestern portion of the state,
being bounded by Perkins, Chase
and Dundy counties on the west,
and Clay, Adams and Nuckolls on
the east. R. o. Green, division en-
gineer, maintains his Office at Hast
ings. Division three has a total ap-
preparation of S1,656,902