The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1922-03-31
Crushed Rock for State
Highway thru Meridian

The state highway thru Meridian is
rough and uneven, and the work that
has been done on it has been OF the
method Of the country road of the
old days which means that few cart
loads Of dirt or gravel have been
dumped into the low places from time
to time
With probably more travel than on
any other road in Idaho. a stranger
would naturally enquire why this
road has not been fixed, at least
with gravel. 1t is on account OF the
defect in the state highway law,
which places the burden entirely up
on the incorporated town through
which the state highway runs. This
is the reason the highway through
4 Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell is all
of the same condition and almost inn
passible at some seasons of the year.
Paving is Too Expensive.
The distance of the state highway
through Meridian is mile, and to
pave would cost nearly 100000, be-
sides the question of tearing up the
water works mains and replacing
with new, which would be necessary,
would mean several thousand dollars
more. If this was strictly munic-
ipal Improvement (like the water
works. it would be different, but the
state highway is not Meridian af-
fair alone. but is the main artery of
travel by auto between Boise and the
outside world. The tax payer in Mer-
idian, especially during these hard
times, will not enthuse over sug-
gested bond issue to help this high
way, at least for the expensive paw
ing.
Crushed Rock Proposition.
But another way is proposed which
means one-third the expense, and
would not involve disturbing the
water mains. This is to put crushed
rock on the highway, a thickness of
8 inches deep on the side and IA
inches deep in the center. The VIII
lage board of Meridian has taken pre-
ilminary action by having a survey
made to determine Just how much
dirt will be moved and filled to make
an even highway through the town
and the surveyors completed the job
Saturday.
The village board has the prom
ised cooperation of the state highway
department, and they will render as
sistance that if paid for would
amount to considerable money. 1t is
understood they will heln in securing
the gravel pit, in hauling the rock and
gravel, and will furnish trucks and
road machinery, in fact do everything
possible within the law. The state
cannot build or spend money on a
road within municipality, but there
is no law against loaning machinery,
and in other ways helping to get the
work done to advantage While this
is single mile, it is said that the
work can be done as cheap in this
way, as [ it were one of the mile units
on the state highway.
Big Contract on State Highway.
One reason why this is an oppor-
tune time for improving the Meridian
mile is that the state highway de-
partment will start work this spring
on the the state highway and expect
to use the crushed rock construction.
Their work will be 6-inch deep OF
crushed rock on the side and 10 inch
in the center, not quite so heavy as
that suggested for the Meridian mile.
Starting at the Cole school four miles
4 this side of Boise, (and at the end of
y IA wnsax y,s,x yftrerA fI,.o 49, II.
will be put on from that place on
west, through Meridian, to the Ada
county line, and on to Nampa. At
Nampa If the proposed paving plan is
not autohrized by bond ISSUE the
crushed rock system may be adopted.
Nampa has the Same problem as
Meridian. except that in the suggest
ed paving plan the interurban could
be saddled with the expense of paw
ing the center of the street, the viii
lage with the intersections and the
unfortunate property owner adjac-
ent, with the balance. 1t is not
thought that the Nampa people will
enthuse much over this plan, and the
street car company is not anxious to
tear up its tracks, put down having
and then repair their tracks again,
To Improve Bad Stretch OF Road.
Near the start OF the new highway
improvement planned, near the Cole
school house, there is a stretch of
two or three miles OF old asphalt paw
ing that is perhaps the worst piece
of road between Boise and Meridian.
1t would be difficult to find an auto
owner who has not broken at least
one spring on this stretch of road. One
thing at least can be said in favor of
the crushed rock construction. There
will be no holes in the road II it Is
kept in reasonable repair. With a
paved road. however, to repair an
uneven surface requires too big an
item of expense to be done on short
notice, and condemned road is u.s.