The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-06-26
SATURDAY, JUNE rs, 1920.
vERMonI,a IMPROVING RoAna

'uHDAY, JUNE rs, 1920.
VERMonT'a IMPROVING ROADS
Nearly two thousand miles by motor
sinceAthe first Of May, over Vernon
.~highways, diseloses many things Of
interest. First and foremost is tha
Vermont roads are continually being
improved, they are better now than
they were las year and much better
then than q few years back.
Vernon is at last on the RICH
track in road buildlngatone foundA.
tloil and hard surface roads where
traffic Is heavy and ven drained dirt
and gravel where traffic is light. In
Iair weather Vermont probably has
the best ayeraga OF roads OF any state
IN he union, taking into G. n|sideration
he side roads as well as the main
highways. Certainly they are be Ter
than those of New York state and
New Hampshire and equal % those of
Massachusetts.
Road Improvement In Vermont dA.i
pends qlmos entirely on he sense
shown by the individual towns in
selecting and keoping competent high
way commissioners. The ordinary
dirt almost anywhere in Vermont
makes a good light traffic sammsr
road If properly drained and dragged.
On the main trunk line up through
Bennington county the best road is
The section through East Rupert he
cause here IS a commissioner or pa.
trolman who knows how use a
drag, lie d-esnt want for the road
to get dry after a rain but is on.
with his drag just az soon a. the rain
slackens 1t is a Pi0 Ntat more road
men do not lean this lessonl "A road
MACHINE IS usefufin IT'S Place Bu
VIII never take he place. OF a road.
drag.
The Eads Of eastern Vernon
average a Jntle boiterlthan those or
Western Vermont though thbfe ar
some stretches Oh this side Of the,
sta e hat lraca not excelled The
nontheas eN counties beverage -ratfeis
hettpr than The fase or lhe state III
tholremaih 1roadsF buyith6 Sac roads
are not ID go9a n tb559 i'll Tie .anth,
.eEA~ooun icssl 7 milo a}
The Att IN ain pusge&are better thls
year than ever before, except after a
rainstorm, The BEST gradd i5 do bass
at W%allinsfcrd. The best road IS. at
Mendon oF Fer9, though the bes
size IN CT mountain road in the Sta g
rs in searsUura Going east the
Climb from Hanningtop or Ru land s
easier thaa tina from Manchester , 5ut
in coming west the grade from Ches
ter or Londonderry T. Manchester is
rather bet cr than the northern or
southern passes, The Brandon.Ro.
chester pass va Granville and the
Mad river valley is s%cenica'ly n of
the most attractive highways in Yer
mon.
In Stoddard B. Bates the state has
a thoroughly able, competent and ef
hcient commits aner, He gets soma
abuse from persons who have rled
to work him and failed, but GOD.
steadily about his business and under
his MANAGEMENT the STATE is making
graa er progress in read oonstruc ion
than ever before. lie has a splendid.
assistant in the person of II. NJ. Ne
Intosh, state engineec.
They are iearlully hampered by the
shortage of labor and the high price
of every hing and in the federal aid
projects they have 10 conform to rules
laid down at Washington which do
not in all eases conform 70 Vermont
Requirement s. People are sometimes
nolined to blame tht commissioner
for conditions over which he has nc
control.
Tho truck problem is a serious mat
ter. They Jun roads in wei weather.
and cause more expense than any
othes n hing At the same time all
peop.o ere nowadays dependent in no
small degree on truck transpor alton. /.
Shot. haul q he e sentias of life IS
al by truck and the use Of
trucks Is constantly increasing. ta
IN Che thickly settled Districts 1t
aLl 'pyShably be necessary o build
roads FOR truck raGlc and
hen " con1na the rucks as far as
possible 70 roads which viii stand he
sra n.
Tho worst roads in the state are in
he cities and villages where the
oads are nearly all below par, These
arger communities have not yet con
Iuered the road problem but Benning-
on, Manches er and some others are
a heroic effort which all the
into hnnns VIII shnt thn WV.