The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-02
FEDERAL AID IS
 DISREGARDED IN
 NEW ROAD PLAN
Favored Highways To Be Built Minus Help Of
 U. s. Funds SUMTER COUNTY ROAD IS CITED AS EXAMPLE CircuitOus Routes Not Approved By Federal Engineers,
 Claim
(STATE CAPITAL BUREAU

MONTGOMERY, Ala, March 1.- Keen interest has been aroused over Alabama according to reports here Tn the recent action of the state highway commission, in inaugurating policy which apparently will mean not only the building of roads by the state in- dependent of federal aid. but off the federal aid system. on routes which the federal government has not ap- proved as suitable fYr highway build- ing and as desirables routes for high way location. Two cases of outstand- i ing interest both of which it is de- clared are off the federal aid system, are the highway from Eutaw via Gaines vile to Livingston in Greene and Sumter counties for which bids have been advertised and the section of road from Selma to Sprotts. on which survey has been ordered, this location involving a detour of the Birmingham Mobile highway and which routes the road by way of Felix. | It appears from this to observers of the highway situation in Alabama that the seeking of the S1,000.0O0 highway bond sale to be used for the year be- ginning June 1. 1924. is not only to enable road construction to be speeded up in Alabama, but to make possible the building of certain favored roads with state funds alone which never could have been built with federal aid in any case, for the simple reason that the federal government would not ap- prove the crcuitious locations which the state highway commission can make. q citing independent of any fed- eral approval,
 $500. 900 Cost To State l The road in Greene county from Eutaw to Gainesville. was bitterly op- posed on the ground that it detours the state highway connecting Eutaw with Livingston in order to go via Gainesville. home town of Chairman John Rogers of the highway commis- sion The cost of this road is said to he some S600.0O0 of which the state will bear all, as the fact was brought out at the hearing before the commis- sion that federal approval had not been secured.
 The home town of another highway commission member is involved in the detour of the Birmingham Mobile high way to go via Felix, the home town of Commissioner J. F. Suttle.
 The question of whether the loca- tions mentioned are the best from the standpoint of the general interest 'of the state of Alabama has been warmly disputed before the highway body, and some have not hesitated to say that other and more direct routes would save the state vast sums of money in cost of construction, and better &C., commodate traffic. even though these other routes do not pass through com munities which boast member of the highway commission among their citizens.
 Another route in the Western Black Belt which is strongly contested ac- cording to reports received here is the road through Hale county. by way of Newborn to Uniontown. instead of di- rectly through the county.
 Scrggs Took Stand
 Commissioner J. H. Scruggs, it will be recalled voted against detouring the Euta Livingston road via Gainesville, but Chairman Rogers was supported by Commissioner Suttle in his desire to route the highway via Gainesville, and the two commissioners. acting together. can. of course secure the detour of the road from Sprotts via Felix to Selma, or any other location or detour which they, as majority of the highway body, may fovar.
 The highway law provides, however, that actions of the highway commission are subject to the approval of the gov ernor. Opponents of the policy of de- touring state highways many miles in order to suit particular local interests can thus have some hope that even if such circuitous routes are favored by a majority of the highway commission, the governor may take action in such cases if he sees fit.