Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-04-27
NO HEADWAY is
MADE ON COUNTY
ROAD QUESTION
Commissioners, Chamber Of
Commerce and Auto Club
Scrap Over Choice Of High
ways to Be Paved. ,

WHY ~
; Representatives of the Board of
county commissioners, Chamber of
Commerce, Omaha Automobile club
and civic organizations in an effort
to agree upon the expenditure of
\ 5000, 900 in the construction of
permanent highways within the
county, in the event an election is
called and this sum is authorized by
a two-thirds vote of the electors of
the county. When the meeting adj
journed, the proposition was just
where 1t was when the members
started. The whole matter was re-
ferred back to the county commits
sione:s.
"A month ago a meeting of the
county commissioners and other or
CARNATIONS was held. At that time
it was tentatively agreed that three
highways should be paved ACROSS the
county from east to west, the Lin
coin highway, the West Q street
and ,the Military road, and the
Washington highway from the north
line of Sarpy, to the south line of
Warrington county.
Commissioners Substitute.
In the meantime and after riding
over the various roads of the c6un-
ty, the county commissioning on
their own motion and without mott
flying the several organizations, sub
stituted West Center. street for the
Q street road, carrying it to the
west line Of Douglas county, along
the land of Comfy Commissioner
Compton and to the east bank Of the
Platte river and to a point where
there is no bridge over the stream.
but where it is hoped that in time
one will be built by Saunders
county.
The up-shot of the whole matter
was that the proposition of road To-
cation was rejected andsreferred
back to the commissioners.
The question of the validity of the
proposed bonds Of $3,000,0O0 was
brought up by opinion presented by
County Attorney Shotwell, who
held that under the provisions of
the existing laws, they could be
voted at special election, provid-
ing the cost Of holding the special
election, some $4,000 to $4,000
was guaranteed This sum, he as
serted, would be returned in the
event the bonds carried, otherwise,
it would be lost by those who
guaranteed it.
W. B. Cheek, chairman Of the
meeting estimated that the pro-
ceeds Of the bonds would pave ITO
to liz miles of roadway with a
concrete base and to width of 10
feet.
The roadways, according to
Chairman Cheek and members of
the committee that had in charge
the figuring of estimates, would in-
clude the four main arteries and a
number of shorter connecting roads
to north and south and between.
County Commissioner Unit and
Compton asserted that they had
ridden the county for the last two
months and that they had become
thoroughly convinced that Center
street, running directly west from
Omaha and crossing the Platte
river east Of Wahoo would serve
larger proportion of the people of
the county than would the Q street
road and that consequently this was
the reason for the change.
w. G. Whitmore of Waterloo
urged that if the Center street road
was the better of the two, imme-
date action should be taken, look,
ing to the calling of a special cleo
ton that the bonds might be voted
and sold and the work of road i'm
provement started at the earliest
possible date.
H. B. Cowles, Waterloo insisted
that it would be a waste of the
county money to pave the proposed
Center street road, for the reason
that it would end at the Platte river
and that there is, no prospect that
the stream will be bridged in the
near future
The question: Of which road
should be the first one to lie paved
in the event bonds are voted was
discussed pro and con. 1t vas
agreed that the Lincoln highway
should first have considerations and
then the military road.
II was the concensus of opinion
that vitrified brick should be the
best wearing surface for the pave
mcnt, especially in all cases where
the soil would permit of the use of
this kind of material.
The county commissioners will
meet in the near future and deter
mine what they will do in reference
to designing the Q street road in
stead of the Center street as one
of the highways to be paved. Their
report will go to the general meet
ing of the various committees, after
which the matter of guaranteeing
the expenses of the special election
will be taken up.
Threatened IN ciif Mifn IN