The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-01-31
TRUNK HIGHWAYS
THROUGH VERMONT
Commissioner Dix Says
Federal Road Money
VIII Build Them
CAN USE 1T ON
1,040 MILES OF ROAD
This Would Give Two Trunk Lines
Lengthwise and Some Cross State
ROads-TSpe of Road Can BE Varied
TO Meet Local Conditions

BURLINGTON. Jan. 3l.-The amount
and kind Of traffic. the soil and availa-
biiity al materials are the important
points 10 he considered in road building
plans, according to Thurman W. Dix,
state highway commissioner. who adj
dressed the brotherhood OF the First
church on the subject; Good Roads in
Vermont. We can build concrete roads
md build them to good advantage in
many places in Vermont. Mr.. Dix con
tinued. In othef places, we had better
build bituminous macadam, and in places
where there is excellent gravel we had
better build gravel roads.
- But To maintain gravel road
through South burlington and the VII
liston turnpike j. next to impossible, =
the state highway commissioner de-
clared. 1t is hardest TO maintain
gravel roads in these places because there
IL no good gravel very nearby
New Federal Road Law
| Commissioner Dix explained the re-
Gently enacted federal aid law, which
was signed by the President on Novem-
her Q hast, and which makes available for
federal aid road work in Vermont the
t-'NtfsN'-f's
this new road law was a compromise
measure, passed only after considerable
discussion of three different bills. This
[ discussion having eliminated the bad fea
lures of the three measures and re-
tanned the good ones. Commissioner Dix
said he believed that the present federal
law is the best piece of legislation that
has ever been passed for highway work.
lie explained that this law provides that
each state may receive federal aid for
not more than seven per cent OF its to-
ltal highways and that three-SeNenth s of
this federal aid shall go to what IS desig-
mated as an interstate system of high
ways, while the remainder is to be used
on inter-county highways. The seven
per cent plan would allow the use of
federal aid for loo miles of highway in
Vermont which would include two trunk
lines the length of the state on each
side of the mountains and several cross
state roads. This system may be mapped
out. according to the commissioner. so
hat these l040 miles of road will pass
through parts OF the state which will in
clude 81 per cent of the population.
The new federal road law provides that
only such durable tvnes of road may be
constructed "a will adequately meet the
present and future needs OF the traffic
on the strip of road to be constructed.
This does not cOftiue rond building to
anv mart eular tyne. Ii viii affect Yer
constructed as it does on the manner of
construction. for the government is very
careful to ser hat when niece Of road
is selected for federal aid work, the
work on that road IS done properly
Mr.. nix said he believed that this l.OiO
miles Of federal aid road work does not
need to be all hard surfaced road. Much
Of ii win be undoubtedly. gravel road
Traffic Nearing Peak.
L = hf
point of view of traffic, Mr. Dix said
that nobody could have foreseen 10 years
aso-that there would be SO large an in
crease i'm the traffic i'm Vermont during
the last 10 years as there has been. Per
haps the Same - true today and vet the
commissioner said. he felt that the peak
of travel within the state ut least Isl
nearly reached. There is in the state
.at the present time one motor vehicle
Tor every nine people There is little
likelihood that VIII shall ever reach tn
point of having motor vehicle for
every person or. eYcHs for every three
people 1t is conceivable that We may
60 as far a. ore for every six people
This refers to peiaSttre cars or cars
other than trucks. There will be. mn
tioubtcdly a considerable increase in the
truck traffic andi that Is what demands
onn' greatest concern
Dust and Washbdard Remedy.
= Commissioner -Dix-.was asked a Num-
bcreof quest ions during the course of his
talk concerning various gpllases of road
Work in slfGh different men among
those present were Interested In an.l
Swer to a question a. to what will giyGl
dustless roads Mr.. Dix said that when |
referred to dustless roads. he meant |
roads which will not be so dusty as to |
eause annoyance to the travelling public /!
or TO the people who live beside the |
road Calcium chloride Mr.. Dix said |
has worked well in making gravel roads