Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-01-02
REVIEW OF The
HIGHWAY MOVEMENT
State Trunk Highways Are
Well Maintained---Many
Counties Issue Bonds
for Building Roads.

At the opening of the new year,
survey of the highway movement, in
the retrospect for 1919, and the pros
pect for 1920, reveals condition of
amazing progress
For the year 1919 thcre are two OUT
standing factors in the story of the
highway movement.
rhe first is that the year just closed
saw the highways of Wisconsin in be5-
ter condition tran ever before. This
was due to the system of patrol main
tainance and road marking, and is
testimony to the foresight of State
Highway Engineer A. r. Hirst, in
providing for these features as part
of the State Trunk Highway Act.
AS the result of this maintenance
Wisconsin became known in 1919 as
the state with the best highways in
the middle west. This statement was
borne out in a tangible way by the
tremendous tourist traffic which
sought the highways of Wisconsin in
that year. Never in it's history was
there SO great volume of tourist
travel in Wisconsin, all brought about
by the condition OF the roads and the
standardized road marking.
1t has been stated that the roads in
Wisconsin in 1919 were the best in the
middle west. Itcan be stated without
contradiction that the road marking
of the Wisconsin roads is the best in
America.
The second outstanding factor was
the progress Of the movement to bond
counties for highway improvement.
Up TO this time and not including
Marathon and Calumet Counties,
which will vote on December Both,
fourteen counties have voted issue
bonds in the sum of $35,850,000. A
large part of this Improvement will be
in the nature of paved highways
Work will begin next year, the initial
step in the development of 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
2,OOO,O 600.
There was spent on construction
somewhat over 100000. The chief
factor in the construction program
was the beginning of work on some of
the main Travelled highways in the
state A large part OF concrete high
way from Green Bay to Fond du Lac
has been finished, two small gaps re-
manning to be completed next year.
Rapid progress was made on the Be-
lott. GAINESVILLE road. Work was begun
on a concrete highway connecting
Crystal Falls and Eau Claire.
Important legislation passed at the
last session of the legislature provid-
ed 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 a total of 1900 miles, which
will be road marked the same as the
balance of the system and upon
which patrol maintenance 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
township road superintendent and
the payment of road taxes in cash.
Another important measure will
result in the elimination of the
dangerous sign boards at highway IN
tersections and for the removal of
trees and brush obstructing the view
at highway crossings. A third meas