New Britain herald., 1927-12-31

pCihS uone Tn clearing debris and struggling growths within the high
 way limits. The year of 1927 wit nessed the creation Of new office entirely in charge of the work of highway Identification. Luther NJ. Keith. former supervisor of the Put nam district who had record of achievements along the line ot beau tification m his owr district, was placed in charge Of the office.
 Tieing in with the identification program was tho work Of clearing inflama blc debris and tangled growths from the limits of the high ways as l prh2aution against the start of forest fires. As a result Of this work. not single woodland fire originated along Connecticut road. The missioner. following out the same plans. issued Q request 10 all motorists using Connecticut highways 10 avoid the practice of dropping lighted cigaret and cigar butts along the edge Of the roads. and requested motor campers 10 take special precautions with thoir camp fires.
 Tn order to protect motorists from any impurities that might exist in roadside public drinking supplies, in" department cooperated with tho State Department Of Health in oN- amining and marking each such supply. In every case where water was found unsafe 10 drink. the de par'mcnt placed a sign warning mo- torists against using it.
 Highway Signs
 Thousands Of highway signs ere placed in Connecticut by the depart nont during the course of the year. All major routes through the state were equipped with the standard United States highway signs. yellow and black signs marking the danger spots and cautioping motorists as 70 what action wasNbest, and white and black signs furnishing directions and route numbers. A new set of signs was designed for use on the four lane Boston Post Road These | signs have bean placed on the ia nous pike 10 wlln all slow moving traffic, such as motor truck anI horse drawn vehicles, to remain in the outside lanes and to leave ;hc i inside stretches free 10 tho more i rapidly moving passenger traffic.
 During the year. the department ! continued 10 retain it's reputation for !. rapidity in snow removal. tho H'ork 1. being far more prevalent during the i carly months than in the last two ] months of the year. Several heavy | snowfalls took place during January i and February and in each case the | department with its 1S3 trucks ! swinging into action automatically I when the snow reached depth of | three inches was able to clear the | main arteries of traffic over night. , Drifted snow in some parts of the , cssary to completely clear the roads. hut all roads were opened at least for one way traffic by the monday following the storm. The work Of snow removal was followed with fur thcr action in preventing ,he drifts from Blowing back into the roads and ill keeping the highways free from ice.
 Chemical Experiments
 Tho department undertook several i, chemical experiments during the year, attempting 10 discover a quick hardening concrete which would en- able tn" opening of newly paved | roads several days earlier than for rirrly. These experiments were sue e ssful and d new concrete formula was devised at the department lab oratorics in Portland. This formula will bc put into use during the com ing spring and is expected 10 result in q reduction of the time that traf- fife is usually forced 70 usc detourI or to delay because of one way pas sage.
 Connecticut River ferry service was improved in 1927 by the build il'S dlhi i'liIitIliiS tl lND new l'pdlS. ! tho "Pataconk' and the "Hollistnr." These new ferries were put into op- "ratiOn on tho two ferry routes on the Connecticut and continued in operation until cool weather forced . suspension Of operations for the winter.
 Indications thl. the present winter might De an open one led to the in- novation of awarding contracts for next summers work in the fall of the year. Contracts were awarded in December for the reconstruction of q miles of highway 10 be completed HcNt summer. The early awards will enable the contractors to complete much of their preliminary work turing the winter ard early ST ring months. and to be well under way with their paving before the annual rush Of traffic commences