Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-01-02
Wisconsin Highways in Better
Condition Than Ever
Before
WILL PAVE MANY MILES
OF STATE ROAD IN 1920
New Year UsifeEs lin Greatest Highway
Program Ever Attempted i'm
This State

At the opening Of the new year. Il
survey of the highway movement, in
the retrospect. for 1919 and the pros
pcct for 1920, reveals a condition of
amazing progress.
For the year 1919 there are two out
standing factors in the story Of the
highway movement
The first is that the year just closed
saw the highways Of Wisconsin in bet
ter condition than ever before This
was due to the system of patrol main
tenance and road marking, and is a tes-
timony to the foresight Of State High
way Engineer A. r. Hirst. in providing
for these features as Il part Of the State
Trunk Highway Act
Improvement Of Our Highways
AS result Of this maintenance Wis
consin became known in 1919 as the
state with the best highways III the
middle west. This statement was
borne out in a tangible way by the tle
| ncndouS tourist traffic which sought
| the highways Of Wisconsin in that
.tti. ANtttI III It's HISTORY WsiS lIltic
50 great a. volume Ct tourist travel III
Wisconsin-all brought about by the
condition Of the roads and the standard
iZed road marking.
1t has hpcn stated that the roads in
Wisconsin in 1919 were the best in the
contradiction that the road marking of
the Wisconsin roads is the best in Am
erica.
The second outstanding factor was
the progress of the movement to bond
counties for highway Improvement |
Up TO this time and not including Mar
athon and Calumet counties. which will |
vote on December 30th. fourteen cOun-
ties have voted to iSsre bonds in the
sum Of $50, $4,000. \ large part OF
this Improvement will be in the nature
Of paved highways. Work will begin |
next year. the initial step in the deyel- |
Opment of a splendid system OF hard |
surfaced highways in these counties.
During the year 1919 there was spent |
on the Patrol Maintenance Of the State
Aid and State Trunk Highways So
100000
There was spent on construction |
somewhat over $5.000,000. The chief
factor in the construction program was
the beginning Of work on some of the
main Travelled highways in the state
n large part of n concrete highway from
Green Bay to Fond du Lac has been
finished two small gaps remaining to
he completed next year. Rapid prog
reSs was made on the Bel0it-Janesvillc
road Work was begun on a concrete
highway connecting Crystal Falls with
Eau Claire
Legislation i'm 1919
Important legislation passed at the
last session of the legislature, provided
for the addition Of $500 miles to the
State Trunk Highway System. This
has been done and next year there
will be incorporated into the system Il
total of 1900 miles, which will be road
marked the same as the balance of the
system and upon which patrol manten-
anCe will be placed.
A bill was passed changing the
method Of handling township roads,
wiping out the road district and the
system of permitting road taxes to be
worked out in labor, providing for Il
township road superintendent and the
payment Of road taxes In cash.
Another important measure will re-
suit in the elimination of the danger
Gus sign boards at highway intersec
oft |
brush obstructing the view at highway
crossings. \ third measure is one reg
ulatOry of the weights of loads of mo-
tor trucks on highways. AS the result
of further legislation a model automO-
bile headlight law is now being de-
vised
Outlook For 1920
The year 1920 will mark the peak
point in highway construction in the
state. The funds are available, a sys-
tenn of coordination between material
men, CONTRACTORS. and highway officials
is being worked ont and the construc
tion work will probably run to $15000.-
600. 4 large part of this work will be
in the form of paved roads under the
county bond issues, III Racine, Wash
ingt0n. Dodge. Fond du Lac. Brown.
Ozaukee. Wood, Douglas, Waukesha.
Walworth. Green, Rock and Jefferson
counties. The expenditures in each Of
these counties under the bond issues
will range from 100000 TO 100000 in
addition to the Federal State Aid.
The year 1920 ushers in the biggest
road program ever attempted in Wis