The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-11-18
new KINGWOOD ROAD TO
OPEN ON THANKSGIVING
Special Watchmen Will Be On
Duty to Stop All Heavy Traf-
fic Over Green Stretch

VIOI WOOu oSeASS
highway was substantially completed
yesterday at noon when the Kelley
Construction company poured the last
concrete on the gap between Greer
and the Preston county line, and W.
S. Downs, divisional engineer for the
state road commission, authorized
the announcement last night that the
road will be open to slight traffic" on
the morning of Thanksgiving day,
November %.
A 500-foot gap remained to be COM
pleted when work was started Sat
urday morning. About two-thirds of
this was poured Saturday and the
last section was closed up Sunday
morning.
In announcing that the road would
be open on Thanksgiving day, Mr..
Downs said: "The newest concrete
will be only II days old on Thanks
giving day. Concrete at this time of
the year should be given at least p
days to set. However, the concrete
has been treated with calcium chic
ride, and light traffic will not hurt it
on Thanksgiving day.
eve, will have watchmen at both
ends of the green strip Of concrete
on Thanksgiving day and for sever
al days thereafter, They will be in
structed to let all light traffic through
but vehicles with solid tires and all
trucks will be turned back. We are
doing this to accommodate the people,
and we will expect their cooperation
in seeing that heavy vehicular traffic
is not permitted over the short sec
ton of new road. If we receive salts
factory cooperation, we will likely re-
peat the experiment in other new
highway construction.
Work to Be Done Yet.
~ Although the completion of the
{ up between Greer and the county
line will permit through traffic from
Morgantown to Kingwood, the road
is not actually completed. In addition
to the construction of beams and the
installation of guard rails, the con-
tractor must widen a stretch of the
road near Greer which was paved to
a width of only eight feet because of
a slip. There are also three rail-
road crossings for industrial purposes
which the Greer Limestone company
will pave. In addition, the concrete
over the new bridge at Dellslow has
to be paved. Mr.. Downs said that
one half of this would be paved i'm
mediately and the other half graded
and cindered, and that the other
half will be paved when the first half
is ready to open to traffic.
Important Highway.
The opening up of this state high
way is regarded as an event of prime
Importance. No highway leading in
to Morgantown will bring more bust
ness into this city. 1t furnishes easy
access to this city for the populous
and prosperous Decker's Greek valley
and other towns in Preston county,
which. were not satisfactorily accom-
modated by the M. & X. passenger
train service.
1t is expected that very shortly
after the highway is opened, the
Monongahela West Penn Public Ser
vice Corporation will begin the opera
tion of a through bus service between
Morgantown and Kingwood, serving
Sturgisson, Greer, Masontown,
Reedsville and other small towns.
This corporation already operates
buses between Morgantown and
Dellslow and between Reedsville and
Kingwood.
Valuable to Tourists
The highway will also have great
attractiveness for tourist motorists,
since it forms one of the links in a
through highway from Washington,
Pa, via Waynesburg, Morgantown,
Kingwood, Terra Alta, Oakland, Md,
Elk Garden, Hartmonsville, Romney,
and Capon Bridge to Winchester, Va,
that is more than forty. miles shorter
than the route from Washington to
Winchester via Uniontown, Cumber-
land and Hagerstown. AS result, a
Z, irge part of the tourist traffic from
the middle east to Florida is expected
to go over this road instead of by way
of Uniontown and Hagerstown, not
only because the route is shorter, but
also because the highway is more
modern, less mountainous and offers
equal, if not greater, scenic beauty.
An appropriate ceremony to mark
the formal opening of the road is ex-
pected to be arranged by joint COM
mittee representing Monongalia and
Preston counties.-Morgantown New