Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-12-06
INFORMATION ON WEST
VIRGINIA GOOD ROADS

From the dawn of history, trans
portation has been the barometer OF
progress. In America, this is the
age of motor transportation, as
strikingly shown by the fact that this
country now has five times as many
motor cars as it has railroad freight
and passenger cars combined. Even
when highway traffic was princi-
pally horse-drawn good roads were
of great and growing Importance
To provide way for our millions OF
motor cars to get from place to
place, an enormously increased mile
age Of solid thoroughfares has be-
come necessary.
In the old days, trade followed the
flag. Now it follows the good roads.
Motor car traffic has become vital to
business and industry, and the state
county or city which is easily &C
cessible to this traffic has an in
comparable advantage over those
which are not so fortunately situat-
ed. When all points in every state
and county are linked together by
roads that are good all the year
round, the vexing problem Of the
vast increase in the cost Of food
stuffs between the producer and
the consumer will have been virtu-
ally solved. Through the ease with
which motor trips may be taken to
thousands of points of interest, both
near at hand and farther away, good
roads are also making great con-
tributions to the health and pleasur-
able recreation of the American peo-
/ pie.
West virginia's State System
Last year, $4,000 miles Of hard
surfaced roads were completed in
the United States, and the total
this year viii reach 10000. In all
this marvellous growth, West Vir-
ginia Is taking part Of which
every citizen of the state may wen
be proud. Our State Routes, as
authorized by the legislature and
1 laid out by the present Road Com
mission, total approximately $500
miles, distance greater than that
from the Atlantic to the Pacific on
either the Lincoln Highway or the
] Midland Trail These routes form a
+ perfect network linking up all the
/ counties Of West Virginia and con-
Meeting at various points on its bor-
ders with the highways Of adjoining
the state is traversed BY at least
two State Routes.
What may be called the frame
work Of this system is composed Of
four great Translate roads. Two
Of these run east and west, and two
north and south. They traverse 80
counties and are closely connected
with all the others by important
routes. These four framework
routes are as follows:
No. l = This road, which follows
The route Of the Old Northwestern
Turnpike, runs east and west entire
I III across the state, passing from
vest to east through Wood, Richie,
Doddridge, Harrison, Taylor, Preston,
Grant, Mineral and Hampshire Coun-
les Between Preston and Grant
counties the route crosses Garrett
4 County, Maryland It connects at
the Border Of Frederick County, Vir-
ginia, with a hard surfaced road
leading east to Winchester, Wash
ington, and Baltimore, and connect
ing with another fine road which
runs through the Shenandoah Valley.
On the western end, Route No. 1
connects at the Ohio River with the
road system of the State of Ohio.
1t crosses Route No. 2 at Parkers-
burg, and Route No. A at Clarksburg.
No. 2 This is a north and south
route. It starts at the northern bor-
der of Hancock County, crosses
Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Mar
shall, Wetzel, Tyler, Peasants, Wood,
Jackson Kanawha and Boone coun-
ties and connects. in Logan County
with another route which completes
the short distance to the Kentucky
line. 1t crosses Route No. at Par
kersburg and Route No. 8 at Char
lesion. At the Ohio River on the
northern end, it connects with road
1 leading to Cleveland and other points
in Ohio, and at the Kentucky bor-
! der on the south, with road lead
ing southwark, and connecting at
Pikeyille, Kentucky, with the Mayo
Trail,the main trunk route of Ken
lucky.
No. Running east and west,
this route follows the line of the
Midland Trail, one of the great Fed