The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-08-26
STATE TRUNK ROADS
Work That Is Being Done
On the Highways
BULLETIN OF BABC0CK
Much Work Now Under Way In
This Great Section of
Minnesota

Developments in the state trunk
highway program In this section are
given briefly in bulletin issued this
week. The information is based on
reports from the maintenance SUI
perintendents in the sixteen districts
and is regarded as authoritative.
Trunk highway developments in
this section include the following:
Trunk Highway No. 5: Gravel
tsurfacing between Gilmore and point
south of Amboy Reshaping opera
/ tons between Helle Plaine and Lee
Sueur progressed to half way point,
crew working southwark Claying
of highwater crossing at LeSueur
about one third advanced. Markings
UP between south state line and Jor-
ldan.
Trunk Highway No. Z: New con-
struction between Mankato and Mad
ison Lake Is well advanced.
Trunk Highway No. 8: Reshaping
between Blue Earth and Banks is
near completion and gravel surfac-
| ing operations are to start at once.
Yellow star markings up between
Blue Earth and point east of Banks.
Trunk Highway No. q: New con-
struction between LIE Sueur Center
and Cleveland is about two-thirds
advanced.
Trunk Highway No. 80: Reshaping
of seven and one-half mile section
north from Mapleton is completed
and gravel surfacing of section is to
start at once. Big construction pro-
ject east Of Fairmont has started.
Markings going up on this trunk.
Trunk Highway No. Is: Gravel
surfacing> of the section extending
fifteen miles northward from Fair
mont Is to be contracted about Sep
TENDER l.
The bulletins give only a brief re-
turn on new construction and spe-
cial work. In addition scores of pa
trolmen are smoothing the trunk
routes in all parts of the district un-
der the Babcock plan.
Trunk Highway No. 1: Orders
have been issued for regraveling a
1871 mile section from Glendale to
connect with the paving near Albert
Lea. Small crews are hauling the
gravel from four different pits and
the improvement is to be completed
Owatonna Is more than half complet-
ed. Repairs on the bridge at Gin
ton are completed and the regular
route again is open to traffic.
Trunk Highway No. 7: A contract
| of grading west of GAINESVILLE is un-
der way and with the improvement
being made further west will afford
good road to Mankato. -.
Trunk Highway No. 8: State and
Mower county forces are reshaping
and finishing fve-mile section near
Austin, between Trunk Highways
forty and fifty six.
Trunk Highway No 10: A state
crew Is reshaping the Montgomery
New Prague section in advance of
gravel surfacing for which a contract
has been awarded.
Trunk Highway No. 60: Favorable
progress is being made on the grad
ing operation on the section east Of
Mankato.
Trunk Highway No. s: Two crews
have been resurfacing of this route.
Equipped with rebuilt army trucks.
one outfit recently completed work
near Shakopee. The other is work
ing near Anoka.
Good Roads Bring Complaints.
Many complaints of automobile
speeding on trunk highways and OF
round about travel necessitated by
detours where permanent improve
ments are being made are reaching
the st. Paul offices of the Minnesota
Highway department.
Charles M. Babcock, state highway
commissioner, repeated that the
highway department is without au-
thority to police the trunk routes.
routes. In many counties, sheriffs'
deputies are combating the speed
MANAGE to public safety and fines
are exceeding the policing expense.
Because of the danger to the high
way using public, and especially to
highway patrolmen who are among
the complainants, however, Mr.. Bah
cock said the department is ready to
cooperate In suppressing speeding.
localities during Improvement opera
tons on regular routes, but all rea-
sonable efforts are made to keep
them in passable condition, according
to w. F. Rosenwald, state mainten-
ance engineer. In some instances
the short duration of the main work
or condition OF the detour will not
warrant the heavy expense required
to provide standards facilities, he
ward to the benefits soon to follow.
/ Fights Rich Mems Road Bill.
| Commissioner Babcock has return
ed from Washington where he fought
i for farm to market road legislation
and against the rich mems highway
bill for transcontinental automobile
boulevards.
Confident that the farm to- market
Legislation will pass, Mr.. Babcock
/ predicted. that Minnesota during the
next two years will continue to re-
ceive $2,S40,000 annual federal aid.
4 But because of delays In congress
LIT may come too late for use this
season and construction of nearly
l$2,500,000 OF grading and gravel sur
acting and 100000 of paving or about
half of the tentative 1921 program
will have to go over until next year
lsomething that must be kept in mind
:; in summing up first year progress
under the new highway development
iplan," added the commissioner.
Road Work In Full Swing.
i Average progress on new construc-
ltion-paving, grading and gravel sur
facing projects-scattered in about
seventy i've sections of the state was
declared satisfactory this week by
Commissioner Babcock. Many projects
Twill be completed In advance of con-
tract time, he said.
Maintenance operations are also
jup to the expectations of the depart.
tment, 1t was officially announced, and
lsteadily increasing results will come.
Continued dry weather and unusu-
Ially heavy tourist traffic combined to