The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-10-08
COUNTY AND STATE DEVELOP
MENT.

Expressions or general Satisfaction
at the result of the conference of Es-
Gambia county good road advocates
and the State Highway Department,
are heard on all sides. and the as
surance given at the meeting in Tall
lahassee that the county road projects
will receive state support has set at
rest the fears of many a doubling
Thomas.
The state highway department has
agreed that, contingent upon Escam-
bia county setting aside and appro-
priating at least one million dollars to
be expended by the state road depart
ment, as provided by law. in conjunc-
ton with funds to be apportioned by
the department, whenever such funds
are available, work will be begun and
carried to completion on state road
number one, which runs from the pro-
posed bridge across Escambia Bay to
Pensacola; a road from the bridge to
the Pensacola lomaton road; road
from Pensacola to Nunez Ferry; a road
from Pensacola to Flomaton and from
the Moline turn out TO the state line
at Atmore.
The state road department has
agreed to provide funds to supplement
the sum of fifty thousand dollars to be
provided by Escambia county and the
same amount to be provided by Santa
Rosa county for the construction of
bridge across Escambia Bay from
Floridatown to Ferry Pass. All work
and expenditure will be under the
supervision of the state road depart
ment, as required by law.
w Marsh xynn 80 go
Florida in a statement recently given
out to the Milton Gazette, had this TO
say about the constitutional amend
ment:
IF the people Of West Florida be-
lieved that the adoption of the con-
stitutionaI amendment for road bond
ing insured the construction of a per-
manent surfaced road from Jackson
vile to Pensacola, following the line
Of the old Spanish Trail, then most
certainly they would vote for such
adoption, as such a road would mean
more in the way of prosperity than
any other project of community de-
velopment. What are the prospects for
or against such broad construction.
The legislature has conferred all road
location and construction on the State
Road Department. The next legisla-
ture will in all probability, If. author
lied by the adoption of this amend
ment, carry out the recommendation
OF the st. Augustine convention as it
was attended by a large and influen-
tial number of members of said legis-
lature and is backed by public senti-
ment, and we may safely assume, will
authorize the sale in 1922 Of S5,000,-
coo bonds and a like sum in 1922 %.
These sums are to be placed in the
general road fund which with federal
aid will be expended by the State
Road Department in building it's sys-
tenn of highways, as already planned.
This system includes the road from
Pensacola to Jacksonville. Favoritism
is not likely when we have at all times
the supervision of the chief highway
engineer of the government who re-
quires all federal aid money to be ex-
pended strictly according to the plan
adopted by the State Road Department
and approved by him.
"The Jacksonville Pensacola road is
already in process of construction. At
both ends through Duval and Baker
counties and for many miles out of
h1lflOn IN santa rosa county ana on
other intermediate sections, grading
and paving is now in progress. The
chairman and members of the State
Road Department have many times
stated that this road will be one of the |
first to be constructed in accordance |
with the plans adopted. Can the peo-
pie have faith that the legislature and |
State Road Department will play fair |
and really devote this money to build
ing this as well as the other four trunk |
lines? We must have road develop |
ment. We should do the best we can.
Doesn't this amendment present the |
only hope for permanent road con- |
struction. The experiment will not |
cost us anything as the automobile |
licenses fees will be used entirely and |
we will save ourselves the two mill tax
we now pay the State Road Depart
inent. The defeat of the Amendment /
means that the construction of this
highway will take Is or 20 years at
the present rate of progress where Its
adoption means its completion within
five years.