The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-04-08
BATES DISCUSSES
CHANGES IN LAWS
Highway Commissioner is
Here Today on Annual
Visit
UNIFORM SYSTEM
FOR NEW BRIDGES
Large sum Available from Government
if State Will Match it--More Roads
to Be Patrolled in This County-Brat-
tleboro- Bennington Road.

tleboro Bennington Roac.
State Highway Commissioner Stod-
dard B. Bates held his annual conference
with the road commissioners and select
men of the Windhana county towns iii
Festival hall, Brattleboro, today and
discussed in his usual entertaining and
enlightening way various phases OF the
subject, with which he is thoroughly CON
yersant The changes in the road laws
governing the expenditure of state funds
were brought before the officials. A
larger number than usual OF the commits
sioners and seleetmen were present, and
all felt that tho time was profitably
spent. There was general discussion on
all points brought out.
| All of the forenoon was devoted to the
bridge question. The legislature has so
amended the law that if a town builds
bridge on a state highway the state COM
missioner may assist by paying 33 l-3
per cent of the cost, not to exceed 81 800
| for any one bridge This law is permis
sive and the state commissioner is estab-
| fishing a rule that in order to obtain
state aid these bridges must be built
under the supervision of the state en-
gineer. as to plans and construction. The
state commissioner requires that the
| town official shall apply to the state
commissioner for an engineer, and the
application will be submitted to the state
lengineer.
/ Applications may then be made for aid,
and the application must state that the
lplans of the engineer have been accepted
and that the bridge viii be built accord
/ ingly The state commissioner requires
j that the bridges shall be of at least l.
tons capacity on all through lines of traf-
fc and that the roadway shall be at least
1 90 feet wide. By this means he hopes TO
4 have q uniform system employed in the
! construction of bridges throughout the
state,
: This afternoon there was discussion
of the law as to unsolicited highways
/ The law setting aside $4,000 of tht
) automobile money for assisting. towns
in improving the unsolicited highways
has been amended bv increasing tn,
amount TO 5000 The apportionmen
on the basis of the number of miles O
unsolicited highway in each town vii
continue, but the amount OF monel
| available for each mile this year viii b
: $7.35, whereas last year it was S4.90
+ One interesting piece of information
I which Commissioner Bates gave hi
c hearers was that the United State
i stands ready to help Vermont to tn
extent of $1.324,000 between now an
a July /, 1929, in building roads. the gov
crnment requiring that its money shal
1 be matched by the state. There are cor
u ~. hn off hf.iY.
:, that the preliminary surveys be mad
at state expense and another being tha
the roads shall be built according t
government specifications. All the dt
tails were explained by the commission
err, who said he saw no reason why Nel
\ mont should not avail itself of the el
tire amount
Some of the money will be used 0
:. the stretch of state road which it
expected will be built this year frol
the Brattleboro line toward Marlbor
and in this connection Commission.
Bates says there appears to be no que
10 tion that the Brattleboro- Benningte
It trunk line will be built in due time
people don t get in too much of hurr
IF There was discussion of the subject
G. highway patrol, and Commission
a Bates said he expected that about 5,
"a miles of highway would be patrollt
or this year as against 1900 miles Ia
as year. 1t is planned TO have a patrol I
1t all highways where the requirements
O. six miles of highways are sufficient
keep man busy all the time Th
+ year about $50 miles will be under p
oi troll
h Everywhere there is a disposition
ne spend more money and give more atte
~ tion to road construction, and the pre-
= pect is pleasing to Commissioner Bat