The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-07-28
THE GENEVA ROAD

We have the greatest admiration for the
highway commission of Kenosha county and
we believe that there is not a county In the
state where greater accomplishment has been
registered Kenosha is getting good roads
lust as fast as the people are wiling to pay for
them and what is more KenDsna county IS
getting dollars worth of road for every dol
lar spent The work of maintaining the roads
is being we'll taken care Of and commissioner
Herzog is entitled to a great deal Of credit
for the splendid condition in which the open
roads are being maintained But, the
Geneva road is getting to be the prize NUS
ance of Kenosha county and it is getting to
be most expensive luxuryto a lot of people
who get the lure of the open road and want
to follow it and to lot of others who are call
ed upon to use the roads as means for trans
portation 1t may mean that there are some
people in Kenosha county who can remember
when the Geneva road was open for traffic
from the city limits to the west limits of the
county but there are mighty few Of them and
the number is rapidly getting less. For three
or four years this road has been closed 10
traffic in summer and winter and the old
sign "Detour so" is beginning to prove an ex-
pensive luxury to the people of the county.
build roads itNis necessary to close these roads
for traffic but we are inclined to believe that
closing this road has become habit rather
than necessity Certainly there must be
some way to provide an emergency road about
the portions Of this road being improved
Now lets just figure it out little. It costs
money to drive an automobile four or five
miles farther than the shortest distance be-
tween two points and for the years that this
Geneva road has been under construction thou
sands Of motor car drivers have been burning
up gasoline to make detours. It is not i'm
probable that the extra cost of transportation
between the city and the west end of the coun-
ty on account of this road being closed has
mounted to the hundred thousand dollar mark.
It's important to know whether we are go
ing through another fall and winter with this
road closed off and detouring. Of course the
contractors would prefer to have clear path
for their concrete mixtures and their grading
machines but they certainly have had it long
enough and if the work now under contract or
under consideration for the Geneva road is
not going to be cleared up by the first of Oc-
tober the county highway commission should
take immediate steps to do some grading and
some crawling in order to have an emergency
stretch of road opened so that the Geneva
road can be travelled There is mile of road
here completed months ago of which the peo-
pie of the county have no use because of the
fact that no provision has been made for the
automobiles and other vehicles to reach it. 1t
might cost the county little more to put this
intervening space of road into condition for
travel but it would not cost the county any
thing like it is costing the people for detouring
The Wilmot road is being worn to frazzel on
account of the fact that the Geneva road is
unfit for use. 1t is just possible that the con-
tractors feel the JOY of future work by keep
ing the Geneva road closed but it is not good
business 1t is going to cost lot of money to
resurface the Wilmot road and this is another
bill which must be charged up to the fact that
no provision has been made for emergency use
of the Geneva road.
1t is to be hoped that the highway commits
sion will take day off and go out and travel
the length of the Geneva road and travel it
with the understanding that when the mem
bers of the commission come back they will
have in mind plan which is going to open this
road for traffic. The present generation does
not care for this road to have it opened for
the use of their children and grandchildren
The great loss of time and money through the
use of this old "Detour so" should be removed
at once Certainly it is possible to work out
some way to give "safe road" about the
working spots on the Geneva road and this
is what the people not only expect but demand.
The price of the detour has been paid long
enough.