The Mankato free press., 1921-09-02
Work That Is Being Done
On the Highways
BULLETIN OF BABC0Ck
Much Work Now Under Way In
This Great Section of
Minnesota

week. The information Is based on
reports from the maintenance su-
perintendents in the sixteen districts
and is regarded as authoritative.
Trunk highway developments in
this section include the following:
Trunk Highway No. s.: Gravel
south of Amboy. Reshaping opera
tions between Helle Plaine and Le-
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-
dan.
Trunk Highway No. 7: 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 surfSc-
Yellow star markings up between
Blue Earth and point east Of Banks.
Trunk Highway No. 21: 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
tember /.
The bulletins give only 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
161a mile section from Glendale to
Lea. Small crews are hauling the
gravel from four different pits and
the improvement is to be completed
this year. The new bridge south of
Owatonna Is more than half complet-
ed. Repairs on the bridge at Clin-
ton are completed and the regular
route again is open to traffic.
Trunk Highway No. Z: A contract
of grading west of Janesville is un-
der way and with the Improvement
being made further west will afford
good road to Mankato.
Trunk Highway No. q: State and
Mower county forces are reshaping
and finishing a five-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. 5: Two crews
have been resurfacing of this route.
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 NJ. Babcock, state highway
commissioner, repeated that the
highway department is without au-
thority/ to police the trunk routes.
routes. In many counties, sheriffs'
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
CO. operate in suppressing Speeding.
Detours are Unavoidable in some
localities during improvement opera
tions on regular routes, but all rea-
soaable efforts are made to keep
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
added, so the best way is look for
ward to the benefits soon to follow.
Fights Rich Mems Road Bill.
Commissioner Babcock has return
ed from Washington where he fought
for farm to market road legislation
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 S2,840,000 annual federal aid.
But because of delays in congress
1t may come too late for use this
season and construction of nearly
$2,500,000 of grading and gravel sur
acting and $500,000 of paving or about
half Of the tentative 1921 program
will have to go over until next year
something that must be kept in mind
in summing up first year progress
under the new highway development
plan," added the commissioner.
Road Work In Full Swing.
Average progress on new construc-
tion-paving, grading and gravel sur
facing projects-scattered in about
seventy five sections of the state was
declared satisfactory this week by
Commissioner Babcock Many projects
will be completed in advance OF con-
tract time, he said.
Maintenance operations are also
up to the expectations of the depart.
ment, it was officially announced. and
steadily increasing results will come.
Continued dry weather and unusu-
ally heavy tourist traffic combined to
make effective maintenance difficult
of late. The patrolmen continue the.
fight TO keep their sections smooth.
however, and by buying standard