Arizona republican., 1920-11-19


 - roads in Maricopa county which will put a concrete road within three miles of every ranch and farmhouse in the irrigated section of the Salt River val ley, that stretch of country watered by the great Roosevelt dam. And the houses three miles away will be few. In most eases, one and one-half miles will be the longst distance from a paved highway. To accomplish this, PTS miles of concrete road, 16 feet wide and 6 inches thick will be built. The job is to be finished in the short space of two years. And here is the big fact-one contractor is to do the whole job.
 The people of Maricopa county. of course, are responsible for the project. | They are putting up the money by bond issue and it was their realiza ! tion of the value of good roads to community that made the whole thing possible. But it isn't possible to tell much about 75,000 people except in rather general terms, so any accurate account of how the splendid program came into being must concern itself with the members of the Maricopa county highway commission"
 Describes Highway Commission
 
 character of the men who directed Maricopa county's gigantic highway program, tells of their articles as members of the commission and how they have served to outline thorough, comprehensive study of the county's needs.
 But there is more to tell before discussing the letting of the contract" :" the article continues. "The first re- %I,n 278-mile program before referred to, but recommended roads of varying width and thickness, depending upon the needs of traffic in the different To- calities. A bond issue of $4,000,000 was passed by the people of the county by a 14-to-1 vote to finance this program. But the people were not satisfied with the first plan. They wanted something better and the commission began to hear from civic bodies and individual citizens throughout the county. Make the roads all of the same width was the demand, and as that was just what the commissioners themselves wanted to do, they began revision of their plan.
 Plans To Obtain Material Among its other activities, the com mission worked out a plan for a cen trally located gravel pit in the beC of the Salt River at Tempe. Some lanC was bought from the state and 80 acre: in the river bed were leased. At first the commission planned to run its owI gravel plant and supply materials t' the contractors building the roads, anC in pursuance of that plan made al agreement with the railroads fo transportation which still holds gooC and will save about $500,000 for tn taxpayers. Plans for operating ce ment plant were also considered, bu in order to be sure of its ground befor going ahead, the commission arranged E for the bringing of two friendly tax E payers actions to test its powers. Tn state supreme court decided that tn commission was not empowered t k carry out its operating plans, and the, E had to be abandoned.
 When all such mooted question had been settled, bids were called fol Bidders had the option of bidding O the project as a whole or on separat parts The type of road also was no specified in, order that the makers c various types could have every oppor tunity to advocate the adoption C their types from both the standpoin of economy and quality
 Concrete Won"
 Getting a bid on the job as a uni proved a difficult proposition Tn big contractors didn't want it on
 lump-sum basis. One attractive bi on a cost-plus basis (cost plus pc cent) was received from big Call K fornia firm of contractors and wa carefully considered. The commission
 CTS had worked out a plan for check N ing the job if done on cost-plus bas \ that would have protected the county Interests at every turn. But under u
 act creating the commission, the al \ ceptance of a coSt-plus bid was In possible, so the commissioners turnt \ down the bid received and called f \ new offers.
 \ "The opinion that the job ought be let as a unit grew upon the con
 missioners and the question final
 settled down to a choice between bit s lithic (black roads as they are cor monly called in that section) or CO crete. One bid for the whole job a bitulithic basis was received, a another for concrete. In additic there were several bids on separa
 sections but in each case they we
 higher than the average price on N unit bids.
 Concrete won. The commissions
 had seen enough in their travels
 persuade. them that concrete was WI II they neoU6O IT IIley COu1Q SS( AI dl
 price that would be fair to the co
 tractors. And they did. Two
 Brothers, known through the nort
 west of the United States as big ra
 road contractors and during the V
 as shipbuilders as we'll as contracto
 put in a bid that will give Maricc
 county its 16-foot concrete roads at
 average price of only S28,o00 per mil
 -O--
 Red Cross Salvage and Shop will
 open in the old Republican build.
 today from 10 to 5, to receive donatiC
 of clothing and all kinds of secoI
 hand articles. Remember that all
 ceipts are used locally, and brir