The Lakeland evening telegram., 1922-08-24
BEING
MADE ON STATE
ROAD NUMBER z
Editor Benjamin of the 0cala Star
Tells of What Has Been
Accomplished

Those who reside at the far south
erly end of state road No. 2 are un-
able to realize that the state road au-
thorities are pushing construction
work on this important through high
way and that before many months
there will be opened to motor traffic
q splendid highway penetrating South
Georgia and Alabama to the central
section of Florida.
Details of a portion of the state
road operations are given by Editor
J. II. Benjamin in a recent issue of
the Ocala Star. He says:
Sunday afternoon Commissioner r.
g. Meffert, better known to 80 per
cent of the people OF Marion as
Bruce, had to drive down to the
Meffert summer home by Lake Weir.
and offered to take the editor of the
Star along. so he might obtain a COM
prehensive look at the section of the
Dixie Highway between Belleview and
the Lake county line, where a state
road force has been working for eight
months building a grade, and the con-
ed base. on which the state will later
place an asphalt upper coating, over
which cars from all parts OF the Unit
ed States will roll as smoothly as
rubber tired teawagons on polished
floors.
The editor was glad to get out of
his office, where even on such a cool
evening a fan was necessary, and was
soon on the bridge of Bruce's swift
Buick ship, enjoying a gasoline breeze
as the sturdy craft lodged the reefs
in the Ocala-BelleView channel.
The road to Belleview-well, any
body can travel it, but it is not as
good as it used to was. Next year,
if the state road commission doesn't
go back on us and the money doesn't
give out. it will be different.
Reaching Belleview, we found our
selves on the northern end of the long
bank of earth that the state road
crew has been laboriously building
from the early part of last December
until a few days ago. We turned the
wide curve to the angle which became
so acute among neighbors few days
ago, but which will bend into curve
of beauty instead. We rolled on across
the railroad and as soon as the oak
en- screen behind which pretty Belle
view nestles was parted. We had a
good view Of the link which Marion
county and the state of Florida are
forging in the long chain of roadway
from the Great Lakes to the ocean
and the gulf.
This section of the new road, which
| tho wide and level was rather soft,
and in good shape for a heavy car,
but Mr.. Meffert drove his auto over i:
so the editor might see its course and
construction. 1t runs in a stright
line to within few hundred yards of
Lake Weir. From the top of the hill
about two-thirds of the way, a fine
view of parts of the lake can be seen.
Clumps of forest seem to break the
lake into patches, but a little over a
mile further the full scope of that
beautiful body of water comes into
view Also, to the left can be seen
Lake Bowers, a pretty little pond it.
self, and up to now out of sight of the
main road. This route is consider
ably shorter than the present route
and the engineers have eliminated the
steep grades. the road going over the
high ridge between Belleview and the
lake in moderate rise and decline.
The road comes to the lake at Mr.
N. w. Harson's residence, and runs
straight from there to Lake Weir sta
tion. 1t is reasonably firm and is be-
ing used as a road to just beyond Mr.
w. M. Wilson's formerly Dr. Hen
ry's) residence. At this point, travel
ers turn out and use the old road for
short distance, when they must de-
tour to the left, climb the Coast Line
track and take the old road that runs
to the left of the railway. (All these
lefts are going south from Ocala.) At
Lake Weir station begins the hard
ened road. the base, and while it lacks
the final coating it gives the traveller
an idea of what a magnificent high
way it is going to be when finished.
Coming north, the state engineers
connected the easy curves with
stretches of straight road in such a
way as to link beauty and utility until
the combination is almost fool proof
The road semi-circles the eastern side
of the lake in a wide arc, instead of
clinging to it's side as the old road
does. Two swamps-one above East
lake and one above Stanton, have
been cut through and drained-re-
claiming a considerable amount OF
land by the way. Between scientific
surveying. cutting down in some
places and filling in at others, all the
grades are easy. Among other good
features of the route. not the least Is
that the journey between Ocala and