The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-08-08
BEGIN WIDENING
POLK'S SCENIC
HIGHWAY TODAY
State Road Department and
County Are Cooperating
Great Road Project

A highway project of tremendous
importance to Polk county is the talk
ing over by the State road depart
ment of the road extending from
/ Haines City southwark to Avon Parl,
and Sebring, known as the Scenic
/ Highlands route This road. now Of
hcially designated as road No. s, will
eventually be extended to some point
on the East Coast, probably Fort
Pierce or Stuart but in the meantime
the surfacing from IIaines Cify to the
Highlands county line is to be wild
ened from the present 9foot width 10
- feet. 1t is understood thgt work
on this improvement is to begin thi.
week
In this connection the Barlow Rec
ord says:
j. f. Walker, division engineer o.
the Florida State Road Department
and II. J. Morrison, federal highway
engineer, made flying visit to Bar.
tow yesterday afternoon for The pur-
pose of comforting with w. s. Wpy,
clerk of the board of commissioners
OF Polk county, on matters in ronnc"-
ton with the work which is to be car
ried forward Immediately on the road
rom Haines City down the Scenic
Highway, o Frostproof
The State highway department has
;ken over the stretch of road from
IIaines City to the DeSGto line as a
part of the state road which is to eX
tend through DeSoto, Highland and
Glades counties, making direct con
nection between the West and East
Coasts.
The road from Haines City to Frost
rroof will be widened. and from
Frostproof on to the DeSoto line an
improved road will be built
The work will be done under the
direction of the county commissioners
of each county, Polk to be authorized
at once to spend up to $50,0o0 on its
part of the project. The road when
completed will consist of Il 1G foat
highway of brick and asphalt.
Mr. Walker to Record reporter
said that they intend to put on as
large a force as is commensurate with
the project which will be commenced
Monday morning. and rushed 10 com
pletion as rapidly as is consistent
with good work. 1t is expected that
the stretch of roadway will lie com
rletcd in time for the tourist exodus
to Florida; possibly some time in No.
vember
Mr.. Walker said that the road will
he widened from nine to sixteen feet
by means of Barlow rock shoulders
on either side, of width of three and
oEe-half feet each
Tho np,oD1otio,, Of ,na1 will
connect it with Lake Anna road on
across to the East Coast Work Is
now progressing very satisfactorily
on the Lake Anna road. where dredg
ing of swamp land and other road
work has been going on for some
time.
Mr.. Walker said that it is the in
tention of the state road department
to concentrate on three big road pro-
iects just now; the completion o.
Road No. S,known as the Scenic High
way, work on No. 2, in Marion county,
and road No. 1, generally known as
the sonville-PensaCOla road.
The work on the road from lIaines
City is the first step towards the com
pletion of the highway which will con
meet the East and West coast, and IT,,
Importance to the state and nation
can hardly be over-estimated.
Mr.. Walker, when asked as to the
federal road fund said the Forida's
share of the fund had been already
expended, and that congress has not
yet decided upon the amount to be APP
| portioned as a national road fun, so
il is impossible at this time TO make
any estimate as to what share Flor
ida may have of federal aid, in the
event that a bill is passed by congress
spportioning such aid.
| The entire stretch of highway,
known as the Scenic Highway, when
completed will run from Haines City
to Fort Pierce, via Sebring, Lake
Anna and Okeechobee. Its official
designation will be Gulf-Atlantic
Scenic Highway, and it will be the
first improved coast-to-coast highway
in south Florida.
The plan is for each county to aid
in the work by county appropriations,
Polk to spend approximately $4,000;
st. Lucie county will spend 1000
on the road leading west from the
present asphalt road toward Okee-
chobee City. Highlands county is now
spending something like $4,000 or
this road.
1t is understood that the sum of ap-
proximately $4,000 which will be ex-
pended by Polk on Road No s, in
widening the highway, will be secured
from the fund which the county has
to it's credit in he auto license tax
monies at Tallahassee.