Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-11-24
100000 FOR ROADS
DURING THE YEAR 1920

Four million dollars for the con-
struction Of roads will be available
in Maine for the year 1920. half of
| which will come from the State and
the other half from the federal gov
eminent. so it is expected that $50
miles of State highway. for which
surveys have been in progress for
the past two months. will be con-
structed during next year. These
new pieces of road will be 50 located
that they will largely make connec-
ton between sections of State high
ways already completed, it is an
/ nounced at the Office of the State
Highway Commission.
Labor will be the factor which will
govern the amount of road work
which will be done next year. and
Paul d. Sargent, chief engineer of
| the commission, does not contemplate
! that the wages of the workmen will
be any lower than during the present
season. where men received from So
| to 81 per day. according to the local
| ity. The experience of the highway
department in hiring labor is that
men who live near the cities or rath-
err where the work is nearer the cities
demand more pay than they do in the
| country districts.
All Of the work to be done next
year will be federal aid jobs because
| of the fact that the federal govern
ment participates in the cost of the
construction. Projects are being put
| into shape and presented to the fed
eral government for approval as fast
| as possible, and the highway COM
| mission plans to let contracts at as
early-a date as the work is in con-
| dition to let. With this thought in
mind the highway commission early
| in September let contract for 9.35
miles of bituminous macadam road IN
| the town of Vassalboro, Kennebec
| county. The contractor has been
able to lay practically all of his cul-
| yerts this fall and do part of the
! heavy grading.
| Letting work early or in anticipa-
ton of next seasons construction al
| lows the contractors plenty OF time to
| make all the arrangements for get
| ting equipment on the job, for secur-
| ing all necessary material and other
| details before the actual building be-
| gins. 1t is thought that this may
| tend to lower prices as in many cases
| contractors can deliver and stack
alongside the roads gravel, stone and
| sand during the winter months when
| their teams otherwise would not be
/ busy and when larger loads can be
hauled than on wheels.
Because of the lack of funds but
| 20 1-2 miles Of road were construct
ed during the present year. This
| work consisted entirely of finishing
up contracts outstanding at the end
| of the year 1918. This work was To-
| Gated as follows: Winthrop, three
miles: Richmond, three miles; Wins
low, two miles; Mattawamkeag. six
miles; Camden. two miles: Dedham.
one mile; Bowdoinham and Topsham,
3 1-2 miles.
A telegram was received by the
4 State Highway Commission Saturday
that 20 new Packard three-ton trucks
recently allotted to Maine by the de-
partment of agriculture at Washing
ton were ready for shipment from
Buffalo, New York.
| Information recently received at
the department from the Bureau of
Public Roads at Washington indi-
Gates that the expenditure through
out the country this year for hard
surfaced highways. exclusive of grav-
ell, sand. clay and similar types, will
total approximately $138.000,000. The
largest total amount for a like pur-
pose was $163, 100000 in 1916.
| Available funds for the year 1920
from State and federal governments
| now in sight amount to $633,000. 900,
which indicates by far the largest
activity ever prevailing in highway
construction work in the United
States.