Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-06-10
Hlohwav Board Raps Small.


Charges made against the WiscOn-
sin highway commission and A. r.
Hirst, its chief engineer, by Gov. Len
Small of Illinois were refuted in a
statement issued by the commission.
wisconsin has won its high stand
ing as good roads state through its
development of patrol maintenance and
gravel roads, says the statement.
Estate Highway Engineer Hirst is
probably the foremost advocate of
gravel roads among the highway en-
gineers of the country. The policy
with which his name name is identi-
fed and which he has frequently
reiterated in public addresses is that
we should not spend all Of our funds
or the major part of them in building
few miles of expensive types of sur
facing, but that traffic must be served
now, and this can be done only by
developing and maintaining large
mileage of the lower type of road.
Because of this policy Wisconsin has
attracted nationwide attention and
delegations from other states have FREE
quently visited our state. Recently
the governor of Illinois and a large
number of members of the Illinois leg
isiature visited Wisconsin to investi-
gate the patrol-maintained gravel and
dirt roads. In the matter of concrete
surfaced construction, the Wisconsin
idea has been to b&ild this type of
road only when and where economical
~ justified, and any statement that it
has been the policy vi the commission
or of State Highway Engineer Hirst
to build them regardless of cost is
wholly without foundation, as the
records show. Because of the high
prices asked for concrete construction
last year the department cut the con-
struction program in drastic way, in
many instances refusing TO approve
contracts because of the price asked,
even when local communities wished
to carry on the work. When the ce-
ment manufacturers refused to reduce
their price sufficiently early in 1921,
Mr.. Hirst informed them that the
price must be cut as had the price of
other commodities. At his request
the Wisconsin highway commission is
sued specific directions that unless the
price was reduced below last years
wisconsin would cease to build con-
crete roads. The result was q re-
duction that VIII save the state over
100000 on this years construction.
At Mr.. Hirsts suggestion the joint
highway committee Of the assembly
and the senate has introduced a bill
in the legislature to permit the coun-
ties which have bonded to build con-
crete roads to change to other types
Of surfacing where the price of con-
crete is too high. Contracts let in
Wisconsin for 1S-foot concrete roads
from January / to, May % of this
year range in total cost from 500, 500
to $40,S00 per mile and the average
is S31 900 per mile. This cost is the
total, including grading, bridges. cul-
verts, guard rails and all other items.
Grading costs vary from few hun
dred dollars up to over $1,000 per mile.
Culverts and bridges cost from 5000 to
So, 100 per mile. Published figures in
dicate that the average cost per mile
Of contracts let in an Eastern state so
far this year is over 100000 mile. If
state wishes to select only the cas-
lest and cheapest stretches Of high
way for construction it can show a
record of low cost, but it thereby
leaves unbuilt a mileage of high cost
road which must later be built"