The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-05-28
STATE BOARD
INSISTS ON
PAVING PLAN
Will Not Participate in
Improvement Unless
Plan Is Adopted
STATEMENT is MADE
County Commissioners Tell
Why They Object To
States Proposal

The state highway commission will
stand pat for its plan for paving the
penitentiary road and unless their
plan is adopted by the Burleigh coun-
ty commission the state will not par
ticipate in the improvement. This
announcement was made following
meeting of the highway commission
this morning at the Capital.
The members of the commission
discussed the paving tangle infor-
mally at their meeting this morn
ing. They declared that the next
move is up to the Burleigh county
board and the fate Of the paving pro
iect will depend upon the action to
be taken by the county commission
ers at their meeting Monday.
Engineering Bill
The state highway board had be-
fore it this morning bill from I.
r. Atkinson, city engineer of Bis
marck, for approximately $4,000 for
engineering expenses on the pro-
posed road, or 2 12 per cent Of $123,-
900, the bid of the Haggart Con-
struction company of Fargo, which
was awarded the contract for build
ing the road by the county commits
sion. Mr.. Atkinson's agreement with
the county commission is for ten per
cent of the total cost of the improve
ment, which will amount to between
$4,000 and $1,000. The greater
part of the % miles of road surveyed
by the city engineer has been used
as highway for generations.
&. A. Swanson, Oscar Bachman and
Axel Soder, commissioners from the
rural districts in Burleigh county,
prepared statement in answer to a
request for an explanation of their
attitude on the improvement. The
statement, which was presented to
the highway commission at the meet
ing this morning., follows:
The Statement
"We gave much consideration to
the different types of paving propos-
ed at the time the original bids were
considered, and at that time all argu-
ments both for and against the diff
ferent types were carefully gone
over. We concluded it was inadvis-
able to put in pavement without
an asphalt wearing surface; that the
traffic would be very heavy on the
.oad and unless the base was pro-
tected by some top dressing there
would be constant expense in keeping
the road in repair after it was COM
pleted. Therefore, we are in favor
of the bitulithic type. Since that
time our original opinion has been
confirmed, for it has developed that
the concrete road from the City of
Bismarck to the Missouri river
bridge is wearing badly owing to
the heavy truck traffic, and while
this particular concrete road was
built fully up to specifications and
was an excellent job, still the sur
face is wearing away, particularly
at the joints, and it has been ncces-
sary to close the road several times
for repairs. This could all be pre-
vented if the proposed road is fin
ished with bitulithic surface, and in
the end would save money to the
county and state. There is but 49,
600 difference between the bids on
Portland cement concrete and bituli-
thc on the penitentiary job.
Further, it is necessary, in order
to protect the taxpayers, that the
cost of the road be fixed in advance
and thus prevent extras which have
been a cause of dispute and loss ia
taxpayers on a great many jobs, and
was a subject Of Investigation last
winter before the legislative investi-
eating committee.
Further, putting in paving is ,
semitic and skilled job and requires
laborers skilled in their work and
while prison labor can be used to
some extent, it would be unwise to
turn over the whole job to inexperi-
enced labor and without an organiza-
tion that was undere bond to assure
cot; cfa RI ory ioh ~