Norwich bulletin., 1920-01-02

| In I46 race or AlSh costs StdLes Highway Commissioner c. J. Bennett 1 is able to report in his annual state ment of the departments work in Connecticut that cost Of maintenance l has not exceeded the figure of other I years. The total gross expenditures l for the nine months for which the re- port is given were $2,S85. .93S.S0.
 l In part, Commissioner Bennett's re- port is as follows:
 Our report a year ago called atten- tion to the fact that there was con :
 stant increase in the cost of material
 and labor, which We hoped at that l time would stop. Our hopes have not l been realized. The cost of construc- I tion is very much higher. and the maintenance cost per unit has mate
 rially increased. Nevertheless, due to
 our policy of recenstrHcting with hard l surface. agreements, our total cost of
 maintenance for full year is no larger than it was for the same pre- I vious period,
 This report is made for a period of nine months due to the change in the close of the fiscal year established by the legislature of 1919. so that com this in view.
 The future of highway construction
 in Connecticut is as favorable as in 1 any other section. We are faced with 8 restriction in the amount of high II way which it is possible to complete because of the incfea sed cost of ma teriais; the increased cost and lack oi labor; the difficulty in securing ma | terials owing to a general increase in building activity; the need for higher types of road surface, and the poor transportation for road materials fur nished by the railroads, so that the public must be patient if we fail tc
 produce as many miles of highway
 during the coming years as we have \ done in the past. and especially if the decrease in mileage be accompanied
 by marked increase in the cost o1
 construction.
 Reference has been made to the
 cost of maintenance. Due tn favor
 able conditions, we find at the writing l of this report that the total cost o1
 maintaining the highways for twelve
 months to Oct. 30th has not exceeded
 the total amount expended for. the previous reports Of reconstructing oul main thoroughfares with city types O i, pavement.
 Expenditures.
 The total gross expenditures of tn,
 department for the nine months ron
 Oct. 1 1918. to June 30, 1919, are $2s
 3S5, ,933.S0. The refunds from al N , S4S6, ,43213, making total net expen allure for the nine months of $1, ,949 i, 501.67. This amount cannot be com
 pared with the expenditures for thu 7 previous year because only nin , months are included. The net ineom, |. from automobile fees for the core 7 spending term was $1,361,S9S.44.
 The expenditures for the actua
 work of the department are made un der three heads: First, construction o
 highways; second. construction an, maintenance of bridges; third. main , tenance, repair and reconstruction 0
 existing highways
 The amounts spent during the nin , months on all state roacs, and bridge , are as follows:
 Z Construction of all new roads. $435,
 75129; maintenance and construction
 of bridges. $423.549.45; maintenanc ? and reconstruction of roads, $i ,437 Fl 190.72 divided into Reconstruction 0 replacements, $469 5SS42. ordinary re pairs and equipment. $s67, ,622 30. The overhead expenditures. w1icl 5 include the cost of the office and en gineering for all the department fo 2 the nine months was $S9. 442.34. Thi : [ sum does not include the sums pal l for repair supervision, but was spen
 in administering the whole depart f4ent and in engineering and fnspec : tion on work to the total of $1,32S,
 S69.16.
 2 Road Construction.
 s Early in Che year 1s19 this depart ment H7as urged by goverhmenta T agencies and by other agencies hay
 ing to dc with the welfare of the re
 i turned soldiers to carry on hiehwa
 construction Immediately in order [ provide for the lome-aomers. Thes '' seemed reasonable requests. and tl7 ,, department. erideavore(l to- eonl,lx a was found that the returning soIdie t was not anxious to do work of thi
 1 character and that there was wor 7 of other mad more lucrative kind f which he could easily secure Eve e early this year and during the tim | l covered by this report there was e shortage. of labor which at times ap
 preached the acute. When there is
 general shortage Of man power, tn < individaa Itake sa step forward an is able generally to secure a highe ! type of wofJ5 than he has done befor z | consequently, the lowest type of alabe : performed will De curtailgd. Our Worl l being of an inferior character. requif
 ing little skill. was among the ffrs
 to suffer. Nevertheless, the mainte |. nance work of the department va
 Successfully carried on; a considerab | OI COIiSlIuCltOn WOIk wa ' initiated. and at the time of this re port is in a fair way to be complet 2 A total of, 27.S1, miles of new roa ,, has been built during the term eovere ' by this. report, which brings the tot; e net mileage of state highway in Il ', state both state aid and trunk line. Il 1,510.83 miles,: Tn this conneetio $ while not inclnSed in the constructic e account. the department has recol y structea with hard surface pavernei e HAS miles during tke term covered I Ethis report.
 The work of filling in u11complete ltl gaps in the state highway system W: .- very firmly established by the legisl; .e ture of 1919. which made a special al
 propriation for this purpose requirir
 the highway commissioner to exper . a total amount of s600.8e0 on the con
 pletion of unfinished gaps in the sta
 aid highway system. The passage
 this legislation is one of the mo
 benehcial events that has happent ,s in connection witt highway matte
 during the past decade. As d reSu
 of this action, the department n;
 been able to. proceed with the COT n struction of unfinished gaps on u e road from Norfolk to Torringtofl: ( ,Ss the road. from Colebfook to Winstes - from Ridgefield to Branchyille: fro
 Savin Rock to Milford; from Middl t town to Middiefiefd; from Whtertov .s to Thomaston and from Tionaps6n u the Massachusetts state line Tn | will do much to round out the higl le way system of the state and make | L4-. -t--