Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1927-05-26
HIGHWAY SYSTEM
FINEST IN WEST
Trunk System Extends To All
Parts of State Develop
ment Rapid.

The Minnesota Highway System has
been the object OF praise and admira-
ton from visitors who have come 70
the state from near and far in the
last few years For the amount OF
money spent, Minnesota has probably
achieved greater results than any
state In the Union
There are two reasons for this. One
is that Minnesota has an abundance
OF gravel which makes an ideal road
for moderate traffic under normal
weather conditions. The other is that
Minnesota has a road system" in
stead of merely number Of good
roads The Babeock plan, so-called
after c. NJ Babcock. who has been
State Highway Commissioner the last
ten years, not only provided system
Of primary roads connecting all the
county seats and almost al other cit
les and villages Of Loco or more PEG
pie, but il also made provision for the
Improvement of the secondary and 10
cal roads in proportion 10 the traffic
they bear
Under State Control
The trunk highways ID Minnesota
are entirely under state control The
plan was adopted by the voters in
1920 and put into effect by the legis-
lature of 1921. Within q few weeks
Temporary routes had been selected
and a maintenance organization COW
ering the entire system had been put
10 work. In addition 10 local patrol
work. the maintenance division began
the graVeling and reshaping Of many
routes which could not at once be per
manenIly improved, and the c0nstruc-
ton division began preparing plans
and letting contracts for grading, gray-
cling and paving the more heavily
travelled routes
Only q limited amount Of paving,
where traffic was so heavy that main
tenance Of gravel roads was impossi-
bic. was undertaken At the end Of
1926. nearly 1000 miles had been
brought 10 permanent grade As TO
surfacing, S33 miles were paved. 229
biIuminous treated, 4-151 had heavy
gravel, 1,044 light gravel and ga were
maintained earth or sand-clay. Thus
Minnesota. in a very short time, was
brought ont Of the mud TWO years
ago the department undertook 10 keep
the roads open in winter Minnesota
now has a road system which, with
the exception Of periods Of unusually
heavy snow or rain, are open and
passable all the year around Even lasi
winter. with the heaviest SHOW in q
decade. the roads were kept better
than g Per cent open
Minnesota has probably one Of the
most efficient maintenance organiza-
tons in the country. The state is
divided into sixteen maintenance dis
tricts, each under local supsTintend-
ent- On the unpavsd roads there is a
local pa1rolman every seven or eight
miles. who. goes over his stretch daily
In summer, and in winter whenever
conditions require These men use
both team and motor graders for
smoothing the highways, clean and
repair bitches, cut weeds, I'LL chuck
holes as they develop and do anything
and everything else which may add
10 the safety and comfort Of the road
user. This is supplemented by spe
cial motor patrol maintenance, re-
grayeling.- reshaping and other spe
cial maintenance
Safety Factor
Safety has also been q prime fac
tor in all construction plans. In five
years SS2 railroad grade crossings
have been eliminated Sharp turns
and steep grades and other hazards
have been eliminated wherever posi-
bic and others are plainly marked
Payemen1s have a minimum width o!
Is feet and gravel roads are surfaced
10 z width of "a feet or more On al
grades built since the state took Over
the system On the heavily Travelled
routes which have not been paved
oil, tar and calcium chloride are be
ing used TO protect the surface and
keep the dust down
Some tourists and visitors may no.
be greatly interested in the arguments
relative 10 the virtue of paved roads
Commissioner c. N Babcock has re
peatedly recommended that funds b
provided for a more extensive paving
program He Is urging paving as {
means of reducing maintenance eK
penditures and providing roads tha'
viii reduce vehicle operating costs Il
the man who uses the roads the yea,
around Another virtue Of paving j.
that it is uniformly good the yea,
around, and is not affected By tht
spring breakup or other periods o.
excessive moisture when the unpaTeC
roads become poor and often impass2
BILE But in the touring months, Ma!
10 October, the gravel roads and ever
the maintained earth roads are uni
formlE good. Tests made with Z
--roughometer" have confirmed III.
popular impression that many grave
roads in Minnesota during the sum
mer season are smooth as pavement
The man who is driving for bushes
or other reasons, 10 get 10 q certain
place, nearly always prefers the pave
ment- but the summer tourist Otter
prefers the gravel roads as being les
monotonogs-
On Minnesota trunk highways tn
traveller knows no county lines or lo
cal boundaries This causes mucl
favorable comment from those whs
have travelled in other states, whers
highway Improvement is dependent o.
county financing and where it is !
common experience TO change SUD