The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1921-05-05
A FEW ROAD FACTS
Babcock to Lose No
Time in Commencing Work on
the Roads of State.
More Than $25, 100000 to be Availa-
BILE for Highway Purposes Dur
ing the Next Year.

BILE for Highway Purposes Dur
ing the Next Year.
With approximately $2,400,000 a
year to be spent on the maintenance
of 1000 miles of highways for which
the state is now responsible, Commits
sioner Babcock expects to demonstrate
important results within the next few
months. Maintenance, he explains,
includes everything except actual con-
struction of a stretch of road, and
considerable grading and surfacing
will be performed by the maintenance
crews.
Six hundred road patrolmen, says
Commissioner Babcock, will be en-
ployed by the state to maintain an
equal number Of sections on the new
trunk highway system as soon as the
force can be organized. The 1000
miles of road will be Patrolled in this
way:
Each patrolman will have a tam,
wit, drag, a mower for weeds and
other implements for keeping up his
section of road. Supplementing these
men will be Floating gangs" who
will work under direction of division
maintenance engineers, doing the
heavier jobs of repair, drainage, etc.,
necessary to keep the trunk highways
in good condition.
Vast sums of money will be availa-
BILE under the new law to be spent on
state roads. More than $25.O0O,O00
will come in from various sources to be
spent in the next year, about half of
it on the trunk highways and the other
half on state aid roads, laterals and
feeders to the trunk highways.
Because the season was so far ad-
vanced before the legislation was
passed, Commissioner 'Babcock has not
yet been able to let contracts for con-
struction on the trunk highways, and
few of the contracts will be awarded
in time to finish the work this year.
But when the machinery is once in
motion work will progress with rush
Here is the way funds will become
available:
For trunk highways .-.
Proceeds of automobile licences, &c.
100000; Of. this 40 per cent, or s., AGO.
900, is to go to maintenance, $150,000
for administration expense and $780,
600 to meet interest on county road
bonds, leaving 100000 for construc-
ton work.
Federal aid, $2,840,0O0.
Only two roads in Mile Laos will
receive federal aid-No. 3, from the
Sherburne county line to the bridge
over the Rum river at Onamia, and
No. ITO, from there to the Crow Wing
county line.
County bond issues to be spent or
trunk highways in the next year
S., 100000.
The total to be available this year
if the federal aid is granted according
to expectations, will be $11, 100000 TO,
construction work on the trunk high.
ways.
For lateral or state aid roads, con.
struction and maintenance
Distributed state funds from one
mill road tax, $1,650,O0O.
County road funds, $1O,843,OOO.
One contract for hard-surfaced road
it is hoped, says Mr.. Babcock, can be
let and put through to completion this
season. That is the extension of the
Jefferson highway through to St.
Cloud. Sherburne county now is fin
ishing the paving as far as Salida, and
the state contract to be let soon will
carry it through to the state reforma-
tory, just outside St. Cloud. When
that is completed there will be a
paved highway from the twin cities
to St. Cloud, distance of 70 miles
Most of the construction work on trunk
highways this year will be grading in
preparation for surfacing later. The
new law allows Mr.. Babcock the final
say as to routes. The Babcock consti-
tutional amendment merely names the
main towns to be served by each route
The exact line is to be laid out by the
commissioner, and he may fix tenn
porary routes first, to be maintained
as part Of the system, but subject to
change. II expect to determine the
temporary routes just as soon as pos
sible, within the next few weeks
says Mr.. Babcock. "These routes will
be marked with plain but not elaborate
signs. When the permanent routes
have been established frst-class mark
ers will be put up for the guidance OF
motorists"
Work already completed by the
counties under authority of the 1918
Legislature approximates 100000;
work under contract or to be paid fol
in the coming year ending July 1, 1922
totals $5,OO0,000; work to be put
through in 1923 aggregates $4,000, 900;
work planned to be performed in 1924
approximates $5,o0o,000.