Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-10-15
The Public Has But Little Concep.
tion of the Vast Amount of
Road Improving Now Being
All Over Iowa
HARD SURFACING UNDER
WAY in TEN COUNTIES
Nearly 15S Miles of Paved Reads
Included in Projects to be Com
pleted Before Cold Weather
Sets In.

I
accounts of road elections held here
and there over the state appearing
from time to time in the newspapers
the people OF Iowa have little con
ception the state highway commits
| sion reports of the work that has al
ready been done under the new roaG
law and that outlined for next sea
son.
Hard surfacing projects are under
way in ten different counties of the
state in which a total OF 1877 miles
of paving at total cost of $977,-
3S2.62 will be completed before cold
weather. In one of these ten coun-
ties, Cerro Gordo, four and one
eighth miles OF paving have been
completed at cost Of S93,0T9.S9.
The other counties IN which work is
under way are Woodbury., 54.75
miles, estimated cost $3.50, 0,151.50;
Jefferson, 1918 miles, estimated
cost SS2,322.S5; Marion, IS miles
$61, 500; Montgomery, 1880 miles,
S95,469 Monroe, 1926 miles, S43:-
$50; Linn, 1872 miles, $3.50, 9,979.97:
Black Hawk, 4.0S miles, $16S,412-
So; Howard, 1914 miles, $55, ,514.14:
Chickasaw,i 1901 miles, 5,292.54
Contracts have been let on ap-
proximately seventy miles of work in
six additional counties and work has
started on some of these projects. In
fact the state highway commission
predicts the construction in some
stage and on some type of improve
ment will be in progress on at least
1900 miles of the primary road sys-
item during the 1920 working sea-
son.
Thirty-three counties have voted
on the question of hard surfacing
since the bill was passed by the
Thirty-eighth general assembly last
spring. The proposition has carried
| in twenty-four and has been defeat
ed in nine of these counties. Bonds
have been voted to the extent OF
/. 6,675,000 in twelve OF these
counties.
The counties which have voted in
favor of hard surfacing are Black
Hawk, Sioux, Palo Alto. Scott, Linn
| lO'Brien, Johnson, Buchanan, Cerro
Gordo, Osceola, Dickinson, Polk.
Benton, Woodbury., Marshall. Floyd
Kossuth, Clay, Greene, Lyon, Han
cock, Plymouth, Clinton
Those which have thus far voted
it down are Story, Tama, Hardin
Franklin, Calhoun, Beuna Vista
Sac, Cherokee and Carroll
| One-third of the counties Of the
state have therefore voted on the
proposition of hard surfacing roads
and in one-fourth of the counties
practically work is either under way
or is being undertaken to hard sur
face the primary roads. The highway
commission predicts that at least
200 miles of paving will be laid next
year and a thousand miles or more
of primary road will be put to
primary grade.
Under the law as 1t now stands .
county which has turned down the
project to hard surface can not again
vote on it for two years. 1t is prob
able an effort will be made to change
this when the special session meet
this winter so that elections may be
held sooner than that.
In thirty-six counties in addition
to those where paving is now under
way projects have been approved for
976.3 miles of permanent grading
56.5 miles of graveling and 1875
miles of hard surfacing.
| The commission reports that grad
i ing work has been costing from
forty to sixty cents per cubic yard
and prices on concrete paving about
SO per square yard.
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