Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1921-04-28
CHANGE SOUTH
BENCH ROAD
COUNTY GETS STATE AND FEEDER.
AL AID FOR THE PROPOSED
NEW ROUTE
WILL SAVE MONEY TO COUNTY
Right of-Way Costs Offset by Reduced
Construction Costs.

commissioners
Boundary county have practically per-
fected plans for a new road ON the
bench south of Bonners Ferry connect
ing Bonners Ferry with the North and
South State Highway now being con-
structed as far north as Peterson S
hill.
1t is expected that construction of
the new road will start in the near
future and it is probable that the work
will be done by the county through
local contractors. The actual con-
struction will be under the direction
and supervision of the state highway
department inasmuch as federal and
state aid is to be received on the new
road. The new connecting link covers
stretch of about three miles and will
be about three-quarters of a mile
shorter than the present road
The new road will follow the present
one from Peterson's hill to the south
west corner of the C. w. Gunther
ranch From the Gunther ranch the
road will follow straight line until it
strikes the city limits of Bonners Fer
ry near the Malcom Bruce residence
The commissioners have secured the
right-of-ways for the new road from
owners of land through which it will
pass, with but one exception. The
route will be through a corner of the l.
]. Johnson place; diagonally through
the r. G. Maxwell place, diagonally
through the II. H. Halsey place;
through a corner of the G. W. Spoerry
place; diagonally through the w. L.
Kinnear place; diagonally through the
Malcolm Bruce acre tracts
The right-of-ways for the new road
will cost several thousand dollars but
the county commissioners and engi-
neers of the state highway department
have figured that it will be far cheaper
to construct a new road than to at
tempt to make the present road con-
form to federal and state requirements
In fact the federal government repre-
sentatives, last year, refused to allow
any appropriation or aid for the hard
surfacing of the present road from the
city limits to the Peterson hill because
of the many turns. The federal gov
ernment requires that roads be con-
structed on straight lines where the
topography of the country permits.
The new road will not only do away
with dangerous turns but will also save
three-fourths of mile distance. Fig
uring on the basis of road construction
according to bids awarded by the state
in this county last year, for hard-sur
faced roads, this saving of distance
will offset the cost of the new right-of-
way and the county will have perma-
nent road, up to the standard of state
and federal regulations and subject
to maintenance by the state highway
department.
Another thing that the county com
missioners considered was that if
new route was not secured all the
work of maintaining and hard-surfac-
ing the present stretch of dirt road
between Bonners Ferry and the state
highway ending at the Peterson hill,
would have to be borne by the county
without any hope of federal or state
aid. On the new road the government
pays half the cost of construction, and
the county and state pay the remaining
half.
The county commissioners have
been working for several weeks in
conjunction with the state engineers
in the effort to locate a new road that
would comply with he government reg
ulations and still be satisfactory to
road would pass. The commissioners
have undoubtedly secured the most
feasible route for the new road and
have laid their plans so that the cost
to the county will be the minimum
and far less than it would have been
had it been necessary to maintain the
present road.
In the purchase of right-of-ways it
was necessary to buy all of the Halsey
acreage as it lays in such manner
that it is damaged considerably as a
tract on account of the new road rum
ming diagonally through it. The COM
missioners plan to use this small
tract for county poor farm purposes
For several years there has been a
need of a county poor farm as the
county has been compelled to care for
several INDECENT people for some time
and in the past it has been necessary
to rent buildings and to hire attend |
ants to look after the helpless poor |
The expense for the county poor has
been averaging over $3.50 per month! |
The Halsey acreage is all improved
land and large substantial house is
on it.