The L'Anse sentinel., 1919-02-07
MAY OPEN UP new
SKANEE HIGHWAY.

men TO ire state CONSTITUTION auChor-
izing the legislature to bond for good
roads projects to the extent Of $780,
100000 is approved by the people, and
the proposed enabling legislation out
lined by X. /. Sawyer, the county high
way engineer, to the board Of super
visors this week is passed, one Of the
first projects Marquette county will
probably will turn its attention to is
the proposed Skanee highway, to open
the southern part Of the county, which
has surveyed by Mr.. Sawyer for
the state and which can be underta-
ken on short notice.
AS the proposed new state aid plan
will, if it adopted, greatly increase the
amount of assistance the county will
be able to obtain from the state for
this project, the chances of the county
highway board ordering it undertaken
will be greatly increased by the ap-
proval Of the proposed amendment.
The board has not yet formally consid-
cred the project, but Mr.. Sawyer has
all the data ready for presentation to
its members, whenever the time is
ripe for taking it up.
The proposed road would be driven
through virgin country from juno
ton with the Negaunee- Marquette
county road to the Baraga county line
within a mile or two of an excellent
highway to Skanee. AS surveyed,
the route is some forty-six miles, and
if built the road will open up country
admirably adapted to development by
| farmers.
The survey provides two routes in
to the main highway from the Mar
quette- -Negaunee road, one designed
to put Marquette traffic on it as con-
veniently as possible and the other
nearer Negaunee. proposed road
would be built running a little west
of north in the direction of the lake
and would have stubs into Big Bay
and the Huron Mountain club, with its
Marquette county terminal on the line
of Baraga county, near Skanee, on Hu-
ron Bay
At various times in recent years
there has been agitation for roao
northwest from Marquette along the
lake shore to Big Bay, to connect with
the work that has been done in Powell
township. The project has not looked
very good to the county highway com
missioners. For one thing the grad
is a most difficult one. For another
the country is broken and not adapte'
to agriculture, and finally, the LAX
Independence Lumber Company, whicl
is the support of Big Bay,the principa
town that would be served by such
highway, is said to have only eigh
years operations in its present hold
ings.
If the country north along the lax
shore is to be tapped and Big Bay an
Huron Mountain are to be given goo
road connections, all inquiry into tn
matter indicates that it had better b
done by carrying out the Skanee pro
ject. 1t would, it is asserted, open Vi
some good hardwood lands that coul
be developed into farms once the tim
Der is cut. These farms would becom
feeders of Marquette county by mean
of this highway, which would serv
the double purpose Of opening up nov
inaccessible places like Big Bay b.
road and developing new country.
"It would be pioneering project,
Mr.. Sawyer asserted in discussing it
"and Of necessity a very expensive
one. To build forty-six miles of high
way through virgin country, cutting
out the right-of-way, building up th'
grade and finally, properly surfacint
the road perhaps would cost quarter
of million dollars. It would cos
approximately half Of the entire ex
pendiutre on the county road system
to date. Under the proposed new
plan approximately 60 per cent of thu
cost would be borne by the state.
"The survey is complete, it has beer
carried on under my direction, th'
state meeting the expense under th'
terms Of the general highway law
The matter is now in form for consid
Grafton and action by the county high
way commission. Whether it will b
carried out is for this body to say. i
is trunk line line for opening up new
territory that can be pointed to in tn,
county"