The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-08-21
SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON
THE DIXIE HIGHWAY

Sunday afternoon, Commissioner r
3. Meffert, better known to 80 per
cent Of the people Of Marion as
Bruce" had to drive down to the
Mefert summer home by Lake Weir,
and offered to take the editor of the
Star along, so he might obtain COM
prehensive hook at the section Of the
Dixie Highway between Belleview ana
the Lake county line, where a state
months, building a grade, and the con-
tractors are now laying a rock crush
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 eve
ming a fan was necessary, and waA
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 is is not as
good as it used to was. Next year,
if the state road commission doesn't
&c 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 few days ago. We turned the
wide curve to the angle which became
SO acute among neighbors a few days
ago, but which will bend into a curve
Of beauty instead. We rolled on across
the railroad, and as soon as the oaken
screen behind which pretty Belleview
nestles was parted, we had 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 not in good shape for heavy car
but Mr.. Meffert drove his auto over il
so the editor might see its course and
construction. 1t runs in a straight
line to within few hundred yards OF
Lake Weir. From the top of the hiil
about two-thirds of the way, a fine
view of parts of the lake can be seen
lake into patches, but little over d
mile further the full scope of that
beautiful body of water comes into
view. Also, to the left can be seel
Lake Bowers, pretty little pond it.
self, and up to now out of sight of the
main road. This route is considerab
ly shorter than the present route, anc
the engineers have eliminated the
steep grades, the road going over the
high ridge between Belleview and tn,
lake in moderate rise and decline.
The road comes to the lake at Mr.
n w. Harison's residence, and run.
straight from there to Lake Weir sta
ton. 1t is reasonably firm and is be
! ing used as road to just beyond Mr.
W. NJ. Wilson's formerly DIR. Hen
ry's) residence. At this point, travel
ers turn out and use the old road fo
a short distance, when they must de
tour to the left, climb the Coast Lin
track and take the old road that run
to the left of the railway. (All thes
lefts are going south from Ocala) A
Lake Weir station begins the harden
ed road, the base, and while it lack
the final coating it gives the travele
an idea of what magnificent high
way it is going to be when finished
Coming north, the state engineer
connected the easy curves wit
stretches of straight road in such
way as to link beauty and utility unit
the combination is almost fool proof
The road semi-circles the eastern sid
of the lake in wide arc, instead O
clinging to its side as the old roa
does. Two swamps-One above East
lake and one above Stanton, have bee
cut through and drained-reclaimin,
"a considerable amount of land, by tn
way. Between scientific surveying
cutting down in some places and fill
ing in at others, all the grades ar
easy. Among other good features o
the route, not the least is that tn
journey between Ocala and Leesbur,
is shortened by two miles.
| The base is laid from Lake Wei
station to Weirsdale except a fey
hundred yards about midway. TIL
grading force begun at the county lin
and worked north to Belleview, bu
the contractors laying base worke
south from Lake Weir with one GREY
and north from Weirsdale with an
other. The new road between Weirs
dale and Lake Weir station is bein,
used good deal by the public, but al
who ride over it should be very care
full. Every few hundred yards Their
i is soft spot, left to lay culvert un
der the road, and at one place a dee
| ditch is Snarne5 hv very marrow