The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-02-21

i wv ssSANS AVA SAV UuAAuAA6 VI lu0 81
lowstone highway across this county
the total mileage of which was sever
and half. The state legislator,
voted $4,000 for this purpose durint
its session in 1919 Negotiation
were started in April, 1919, with the
state highway department to get THU
short piece Of work under way, be.
cause that part of the Yellowstone
highway in this county was and is to.
day, the worst part between Salt
Lake City and the National Park. II
Is the most roundabout, and made
up of country roads not likely to ever
be improved up to the standard re-
Quired on this great national high
way. Tourists travelling thru the
upper Snake river valley to the west
ern entrance to the park (and more
go in at this entrance than any other)
complain about the roads and de-
tours necessary in Jefferson county,
more than any other part of the
route. The people here have been
cognizant of this and were about
ready to remedy 1t when we were
drawn into the European war, and
work had to be postponed. As soon
as the war was over the bond cleo
ton mentioned above was called and
preparations completed as far as the
county was concerned.
This short piece of road is part
of one of the states main highways.
Several parts of the route as origin
ally outlined in this county were
eliminated in order to cut down ex-
pense and bring the highway thru
the town, and the plan finally
adopted was to build five and half
miles. After urging the state high
way department from April, 1919, to
the summer of 1920, these five and a
half miles have been graded.
A contract was let to large con-
struction company for $4,000 for
this grading, which did not include |
surfacing with gravel or other ma
terial, but it did include putting in |
small culverts for irrigating bitches |
where the same crossed the highway.
S7me local people undertook to bid
on this work, but found provision in
the call for bids, that no one would
be considered eligible to bid and
their bids would not be accepted I'M
less such bidders could show they
were the owner of at least $4,000
worth of road building equipment.
This cut out all of the local people,
and made it possible for only the
big fellows" to get in on the job.
Prior to getting down to this part
Of the business. engineers had sur
Veyed the route. In fact the state.
It is claimed, in the past six or seven
years has spent $4,000 in surveying
he Yellowstone highway across JEFF
'erson county. During the time last
summer when the road was being
Graded, as many as five state en-
,fneers were on this short piece of
Dad. They laid around in the shade
nd drew their salary. 1t seems the
tate highway department is being Il
lsed as a school for young engineers.
Zach one has an over-exaggerated =
dea of his Importance and skill, and =
ach, OF course, wants to make =
nark for himself in the world, so he =
uns grades and insists on much =
1ore work being done than is neces- -
ary, doubtless to cause people to q
larvel at the engineering ability =
sed in connection with state high
ray building. At all events, it is y
afe to say that at least ten times
lore money is used in highway en-
ineering than is necessary, and the L
rtncipal thing the road engineers do
my opinion is to engineer money q
ut of sight The country traversed a
y the Yellowstone highway thru JEFF Il
,rson county is as level as any piece g.
road in Idaho, and there are no o
ngineering problems, except two II
eel bridges across the dry bed" a q
ranch of the south fork of Snake D
yer, two miles north of Rigby, o
here two spans of about seventy s.
'et each in length are required. II
In the early summer of 1919, the n
ellowstone highway thru Madison n
,unty, which had been built by that D
,unty number of years before at 81
bout one-fifth the cost the state o.
ould have been put to, had to be re- "A
lrfaced. 1t was decided to have a.
e farmers haul suitable gravel to 7,
surface this road last winter The IL
ate highway department which, in
e meantime had assumed control of tt
e road, decided it would have to be tt
surveyed, cross sectioned, etc., and st
mt corps Of engineers up there to til
the work. A large expense was s;
Cured and paid, but when the tn
me came for the farmers to do the of
DIRK the following winter, the stakes $:
t by the engineers we're all down to
I'd scattered, no attention was paid be
them, and the farmers resurfaced ii,
e highway and did a good job in S!
e good old fashioned way. Nc
l. am informed up in Clark county is
e engineers Of the state highway pr
partment run grades so as to re- ex
ire a cut to be made for many m
lies, about two feet deep, thru a er
tie rise in the natural grade of the re
unity. This stretch of country was
iginally natural road material, fine &C
avel and sand on top, which had to
mented together. When the en- cl;
1eers had gotten thru with it, and bu
e cut had been made down into of
bile stones, the people became dis WI
sted, abandoned the new road, pa
Dke new one out near the side of We
3 right of way, and today are u.s. ste
, the natural surface again. 1t is to
IS foolishness in road engineering, ST.
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