Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1919-01-02

were put in better condition than eve
before. 1t was lucky fer Wisconsin
that the State Highway Engineer hat
. the forethought to provide for this
patrol maintenance. 1t offset the loss
! brought on by restricted construction
None of our neighboring states
. had devised this system of mainten-
ance and with the war limitations on
construction, the result on their high
ways was obvious As a matter of
fact, the patrol maintenance system
in Wisconsin has attracted the at
tention of highway engineers thru
out the country and at the recent
Road Congress at Chicago, the paper
of State Highway Engineer Hirst on
Wisconsin's Road-Marking and main
tenance was the joy-note paper of the
sessions.
The year 1919. will also see far
more improvements on the roads Of
Wisconsin than any year in its his
tory. Approximately $7,000,000 will
be spent on highway construction. On
the State Trunk Highway System,
slightly over $1,O0O,O00 will be spent
on grading, draining, and topsoiIing of
237 miles of dirt roads. The same
mount will be spent on constructing
153 miles of gravel road. An equal
amount will be spent on building 50
miles Of concrete road, and about 500
900 on building four miles of stone
macadam road, a total of $3,213,O00.
In addition to that $1,O00,OO0 of State
Aid money will be utilized for con-
struction on the State Highway Sys-
tenn, as provided in the law. The
State Aid construction will run ap-
proximately $2,50O,OOO.
The feature Of next year, however,
as it was of this year, will be main
tenance. Estimates made at this
time indicate that $2,560,0O0 will be
spent on the maintenance of Wiscon-
sin highways next year Of this
81 100000 VIII be spent en- the patrol
Of the State Trunk High
way System. The patrol maintenance
has worked out so we'll this year that
a number of counties have decided to
put patrol maintenance on their second
ary or State Aid roads, and have
voted Approximately $675, ,00O for that
purpose. In additionto that 25 per
cent of the state automobile license
fees will be returned to the counties for
The maintenance of their county high
ways, amounting 20 about $50 900
Taking it all in all, Wisconsin has
lad a highly satisfactory year in road |
resulting from its patrol
and roadmarking. Road
were never more fixed !
n the public eye than in the year 1918 !
Another new factor is looming up
or the coming year. In many count !
es, especially in the southern and /
EASTERN part of the state, road traffic |
las become SO intensive, large in vol .
lme and heavy in character brought
m by the use of the motor surfaced I
oads, similar to those of Milwaukee
County The cost of these roads is
20 high that it would not be feasible
% build them out of taxation from
ear to year. They must be built by
he counties issuing bonds and max
ng future generations pay for the
he roads from which they will de-
i've a benefit. The State of Illinois
las Just decided to bond itself for
60.000,000 for road construct;o on;
Minnesota is about to start a $780,
100000 bond issue campaign. Michi-
,an and Indiana are discussing the
natter seriously. Wisconsin cannot
ond itself because of a constitutional
PROVISION. The only way to meet the
'roblem in this state is to have the
ounties bond themselves and build
Dads which will carry their traffic
nd endure
nrET n1nn