Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-02
MUCH GOOD ROAD WORK DONE.
BY PRESENT HIGHWAY BOARD
Survey Made as Result of Criticism During
Present Campaign Shows Considerable
Accomplishments This Year.

OF crushed gravel road and it's est
mated cost is in excess of $500 900. 1t
Will be built without any state or coun-
ty assistance other than the expense
of the highway commission in making
the surveys and plans. 1t will be
built under the supervision of the
state highway commission which will
assume one half of the expense of
supervision and inspection, the other
half being borne by the federal gov
eminent.
Other Applications
Other Indian reservation projects
for which applications have been sub
United by the highway commission are
looted on the, Grow, Fort Peck and
Flathead Indian reservations, cover
ing approximately 165 miles Of state
highways. The commission is also
making an effort to initiate a project
on the Roosevelt International high
way on the Fort Belknap reservation
in Blaine county
According to the highway commits
sion the cost to it of making the pre-
liminary investigations, surveys and
plans on these reservation projects is
approximately 3 per cent of the cost
Of the project. and an additional ex-
pense of approximately 2 IL per cent
as the states share of the expense of
inspection and supervision of con-
struction. All of this is paid out of
the state highway fund.
The commission charges the expense
of surveys and plans against q project
direct and work done this year may not
be counted into a completed project for
a couple of years. This cost runs from
three to four per cent of the contract
or estimated cost of the project.
When the project goes to contract
the commission puts on resident engi-
neers and inspectors Il it has been
ascertained upon the records Of the
Sc. 700 of federal aid projects COM
pleted to date that this feature of the
work has amounted to 5.S per cent of
the value of the roads and bridges
built. Of this supervision cost the fed
eral government ~reimburses the high
way commission to the extent of n
half.
The highway law requires the state
commission to give aid to and assist
boards of county commissioners in
county road matters. All field en-
ployes are subject to the call of the
counties and they have also given as
~sistance to city governments. They
make surveys for county roads and
make plans for bridges to be built
without federal aid. The commission
maintains four district offices, located
in Great Falls, Billings, Bozeman and
Missoula. for the purpose of more
economical handling of supervision and
| maintenance work, more direct control
over contract work and to permit of
closer relations with the county com
! m~issioners.
The commission is now making aR
intensive reconnaissance survey of the
entire trunk highway system of the
state of approximately 400 miles in
order to determine where improve
ments are most needed. where federal
aid funds and standards can be ap-
piled because of physical conditions and
where less expensive classes Of i'm
provements will serve the traffic
needs.
Highway Maintenance
Under an arrangement with the
several counties in which are located
completed federal aid projects the
highway commission during the year
1922 has maintained approximately
700 miles of state highways. Half Of
! this expense is paid by the counties
| and the other half by the state out
Of the highway commission fund. 1t is
now estimated that the states share
Of this expense for the year, including
some pieces of equipment. will be
S60,0 600. This plan takes care of all the
federal aid projects which had been
completed at the beginning Of the
season.
Under this system the maintenance
is continuous, the highways being
divided into sections of 10 to 10 miles
each. Upon each Of which a patrolman
is employed for the season ID dragging
the road, applying fine gravel to worn
surfaces, keeping bitches and culverts
open. cutting weeds from the should
ers of the road and in some cases re-
surfacing stretches of the road by
adding quantities of new gravel.
One of the most notable instances
of this maintenance work during the
past season was or that part Of the
Y-G Bee line between Arlington in
Cascade county, and Bynum in Teton
county. about 100 miles. Altogether the
department this season utilized about |
60 patrolmen in continuous employ and
in addition used several gangs Of men
making repairs and doing heavy main
tenance work.
So successful has the maintenance
program worked out this year that the |
commission wants to meet demands for
an extension next year and to take
over the maintenance of the entire
trunk highway system of approxim-
ately 400 miles and to pay the entire
cost thereof.
Equipment Division
The equipment division, which en- !
ploys a force of about II men at the !
shops maintained in Helena. handles