Norwich bulletin., 1921-09-20
STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION


 TO SPEND sI .Gec 0GO ON ROADS
 State HiehwaI. Commissioner Charles IJ. Bennett announc-a samraqy th, road building program ado3tsd by his department for the ensui- two years. At an expenditure of more than $4.0Oo.- oOo it will add nearly 100 miles of new construction to the 1,60O miles Of inn proved state highways now in use in Connecticut. The tota, length of all Connecticut roads is 12.000 miles, The new program does not take into account contemplated replacement work. In view of the fact that the legislature made no appropriation for replacen,ents, this work is entirely de- pendent on the receipts from motor ve- hicle department fees, fines and forfeit ures Inasmuch as the motor vehic.a fee system has been completely changed effective the first of January, 1922, the probable amount available from this source will not be known before June l, 1922. For this reason, highway re- placement work in Connecticut will he left practically at standstill for about ten months.
 1 For trunk line construction, the high way department has s1,000 000 that was II | i federal aid roads. s1.000, O00 from the state and a second million in sight from | the government, and fer completing un- l finished gaps in state aid roads S6OO.- | 900 from the state. In addition to this 1 the department will receive enough money from towns for their share of the expense of filling in gaps in state aid roads to put it's resources over the | s4 000, 900 mark.
 ] The program laid out by the highway 1 department is the result of careful study to get the maximum benefit from the money available. All other things being equal. an effort was made to place the new construction where it would do most to relieve unemploy- ment.
 Two million dollars IS to be spent on three big federal aid projects. Chief among these will be a high-grade high | way thirty-f1ve miles long up the Hou- satonic Valley from New Milford to Falls Village. passing through Sher- man, Kent, Cornwall, Sharon. Salisbury and Canaan.
 Completion of the improvement of the Westerly to Norwich highway, includ ing the resurfacing of rough sections in the present road, will constitute the second federal aid project. About three miles of new road will be laid at an esumated cost of So00o. and the work will be started in the spring
 A four-mile stretch from Danielson to Little Rest on the Rhode Island Connecticut state line. will make the third federal aid project. It will in volve an expenditure of s15o,00o and the work is already under way.
 Work will be continued on the New London-Hartford turnpike in an effort to push it through to completion bS July 1, 1922.
 The program for filling in gaps 1T state aid roads is not complete. Abou s1o0 900 will Be spent on the road be tween Shelton and Bridgeport and. il necessary arrangements can he made with the towns affected. two miles wil he aid between Ridgefield and Nortf Wilton. four miles between Black Hal and Mantle six miles along tht beaches between Saugatuck and South port. and one mile between Arlington and West Haven center.
 The trunk line program. the entir' expense of which is met by the state icom9rises thirteen different projects as follows:
 t-Closinr gan one mile long be tween Stafford Springs and Somers.
 2-Crossin~ gan two mics long he tween UnionyiTe and Collinsville.
 3-Closins gap one mile long between