The Raymer enterprise., 1922-01-12
ANNUAL HIGHWAY RE-
PORT DETAILS WORK
County Road Supervisor John Wor-
than Says Damage to Roads and
Bridges Cost Weld $l04,004.Se
During Year.


The detailed story Of how Weld
county repaired the damage Drom
the foods Of June, 1921, Is the fea-
ture Of the annual report of John r.
Wortham. county road supervisor.
which has just been submitted to the
board Of county commissioners. The
fiscal year covered by the report came
to an end Nov. 80, 1921.
The road supervisors Office was
established by the county commits
sioners in July, 1919, and Wortham
has been the only appointee. He sue
ceeded a system by which each COM
missioner bossed the road work Of
bis district and employed local labor
as he saw fit.
Flood Cost $104,094.86
The cost OF repairing the food
damage to the roads and bridges was
$104,O94.S6. Sixty-fvs BRIGGS were
completely destroyed or greatly dam
\ aged including lS over over the
South Platte. 10 over the st. Vrain.
10 over the Little Thompson, 4 over
the big Thompson. 4 over Big Dry
Creek. 2 over Boulder creek. 2 over
Coal creek. S over Sheep Draw. 3
over the Poudre. over Pawnee creek
and over smaller gulches.
approximately 425,000 feet of
lumber was used In replacing washed
out bridges and five big steel struc-
lures were also erected. Materials
had to be shipped In from q distance
and the fact that the sugar beet cam
aigu was to start on Sept. l5, or two
weeks earlier than usual made haste
very essential.
! Speed in Construction
An example OF speed In cOnstruc-
tlon was the work on the Wilmot
bridge north Of Fort Lupton. Time
required for taking out the wrecked
bridge and replacing with the new
structure, which Is $40 feet long.
was 50 hours. or eight working days.
The cost per foot was $3.50, the to-
tai cost being $7,O73.62.
The most expensive job of bridge
replacement on the Platte was on the
structure straight west Of Fort Lup-
ton where the total cost was Ss,774.-
l57. The length OF this job was $50
feet and the total cost per foot $23.4S
Pile bridges are creosoted and are
very durable under Weld county con-
ditions.
Four S0-foot steel spans were
erected across the little Thompson
river and 72-foot steel bridge was
erected across Pawnee creek north OF
stoneham. The average cost Of these
steel bridges was $27l5.S7.
i Illustrations Of these steel bridges
show an immense Increase In water
way over the old wooden bridges
with fills which they replaced. In
the case Of the big pile bridges across
the Platte all are superior in con-
struction to the old bridges they re-
placed.
Modern Equipment
| A considerable section OF Worth
ans report deals with the modern
equipment used BY the county for
highway work. The county has
three automobiles, five lotion trac-
tors and 10 trucks. The inventory
OF equipment and materials shows =
total Of $91,8Sl.55. The county has
Its own machine shop and garage
at Johnstown and expended $23.s53.-
02 at the shop In 1921. The bill for
operating expenses, including gas
oils and grease. OF motor equipment
was $26.462.79.
The total mileage OF county trucks
In l2 months was SO,55S. Approx
mately one-half Of this mileage was
for road dragging. The cost per
mile including wages was $.614s,
The cost for dragging by teams has
been 30 cents per mile showing q
saving of 20 cents per mile dragged
, by motor equipment. This aounts
to $l1,600 on 10000 miles.
u Five tractor units made 5S8 miles
OF new road and regarded 275 miles
Q old road during the year. The cost
1 per mile was s34.s42 as compared
to an average cost OF more than 3l2O
Q Oh team grading. In reckoning the
1 cost Of motor grading every possible
= item including liberal depreciation
r allowance was put in.
Team dragging and team grading
has been completely done away with.
j. Teams are still used to slight ex-
tent in making fills and hauling
gravel,