River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1919-01-02
Progress Of Highway
Movement in Wisconsin

highways of Wisconsin in 1918 than
in several years, the main highways
OF the state were never in better
condition than during this year.
Tourists who have travelled extern
sively all verify this fact.
The cause of this seeming paradox
IS found in the fact that because of
conditions growing out the war con-
structlon work was radically cut
down. but this was far more than
offset by the Inauguration of a
system-ef patol maintenance on the
! 5000 miles of State Trunk Highways.
This meant that some work of i'm
provement was done on practically
every mile of the State Trunk High.
way System. Prior to this year.
under the State Aid act, there was
no system of patrol maintenance,
but very little maintenance of any
character, and highway improve
ment limited to construction, done
in piece meal way on small stretch
es Of road, while practically nothing
was done on the balance of the high
way.
The year 1918 will be noted as the
beginning of new era in highway
work in Wisconsin. 1t marked a
definite advancement in the fact
that the State Trunk Highway Law
became operative, and the State
Aid law, while the state had certain
powers of supervision and assisted
financially, the county was the unit
Of highway construction and scatter
ed, sections of road were being built
from the local point Of view. Main
tenance was negligible quantity.
The State Trunk Highway Act this
year accomplished these three things:
1t placed 5000 miles of our main
trunk highways under a system Of
patrol sections, with a patroIman in
charge Of each section, paid month
ly salary, and deyoting his whole
time to keeping his sectson in con-
dItlon. 1t meant the removal of a
number of real road terrors, and a
system of highways in fairly ad-
equate condition under normal
weather conditions and passable
for traffic. Although, of course,
this excerpts certain sand roads
areas and certain heavy grades
which require either construction or
grading jobs Of some magnitude,
which were not feasible under this
years war conditions.
1t meant the placing, on the State
Trunk Highways, of standardized
marking system, with which the
public is now fairly familiar, and
giving Wisconsin the best marked
highway system in the country.
1t meant limited amount Of con-
struction on certain bad sections of
main highways, the amount being
limited by conditions growing out
of the war.
In the matter Of maintenance,
$50 patrolmen were on the job car
ing for from six to twelve miles each.
The total amount spent on patrol
maintenance was So, 100000, or $24O
per mile, Of this the state con-
tributed 81 ,008, 900, this money com
ing from the automobile license fees,
and the counties voted $4,000.
In the matter Of construction, the
total spent on State Aid construction
was approximately $2,400,000 and
on State Trunk Highway construc-
ton approximately $1,000,O00. On
the State Aid work 365 miles Of
road were simply graded and drain
ed, 116- miles were constructed with
crushed stone surface, ia miles
with gravel surface, 81 miles with
concrete, and "a miles with other
materials. A total of 124 State Aid
bridges were built, costing 1854 900
or about $1,000 each. The number
of County Aid bridges constructed
was SAG at a cost Of $4,000.
Summing it up, war conditions
laid restraining hand on highway
improvements in this state this year
in cutting down highway construc-
ton. Despite that, by the system
Of patrol maintenance, our main
highways were put in better con-
dition than ever before. 1t was
lucky for Wisconsin that State High
way Engineer Hirst had the fore
thought to provide for this patrol
maintenance. 1t offset the loss