The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-12-31
Possibility of Deadlock in Two
Years Foreseen in Com
mission Circles

preparations, in the other it is face,
I D. the compulsion Of reducing per
a manent construction, in order t,
!, Keep up maintenance. according :;
Secretary J. J. Ermatinger. who ha
|, been making number of talks re
Gently. calling attention to the situa
ton. The program on which tn,
state is working provides for 750(
\ miles of comp leted improved road
OF which 1861 now is SO graded ane
2157 are graveled.
The year 1923 may have seen the
last big construction program. II
that period lot of gaps were per.
r:anently completed by crawling OF
; partially completed by grading. --"'e
result is that the state now has a
number of roads extending from the
South Dakota line on the south to
Canada on the north. Nos. 2 and 4,
for example have been completed
from state line to state line, except
a little gap on No. 2 west of Rugby.
Crawling Behind Grading
The records of the state commits
sion show ABA miles of additional
crawling completed in 1928. Ad-
ditional earth grading during the
year added 538 miles, bringing the
total to 1861 miles No paving was
added this year, but &c mile under
went oiling.
The commission now has in pro-
cess OF earth grading, GOO miles and
IN process Of crawling, $50 miles.
A review of the work done in 1928
shows completion of No. 3 highway
from Steel to futile; completion of
No. Z from Portland west; No. 6
built from the South Dakota line to
the Canadian boundary; U. S. No. ~
from Bowman east about completed
IN earth grading by closing gaps
left over from 1927; u. S. 81 COM
pleted from Grand Forks to the
Canadian line by closing up gaps,
while from Wahpeton south the high
way is in the same condition of COM
pletion and the 49,, program on
this road is to gravel it from the
Forks north to Canada; U. S. No. 10
from Mandan west to Beach about
completed By work between Mandan
and New Salem and little east of
DICKINSON, with a lot of crawling
to follow next year
Heavy Grading Costs
No. 50 is near completion also.
Contracts have been let for the
bridge a approaches on the line
where it crosses the little Missouri
river at Challoner's ferry. 1t has
been a big and costly Job to build
inns highway, as, at some places,
eo,OoO cubic yards of earth had to
be removed to the mile, or ten times
what 1t was necessary to excavate
on any other road
= road gan that will bring con-
siderable trade to Bismarck is that
from Hazleton east to Napoleon.
which is being completed.
Highway No. So is about IS Der
cent graveled. Secretary Ermating-
er says, some crawling having been
done this year between Hazelton and
Linton. '1
No. Q has been completed in grad. |
ing except a small portion near
Martin. which is under contract to be
finished and it has been graveled |
except for few stretches.
No. was completed from Turtle
Lake westward to No 6 in earth
grading.
Traffic Wearing Roads
As traffic grows heavier and the
use OF trucks multiplies, said Score
tary Ermatinger, the problem of
maintenance grows more pressing
upon the commission as upkeep in
creases the drain on the commits
SONS funds, the ability to biuld per
manently decreases, so that now the
state is three years behind on its
.3OO-mlle program. There are on
Tile requests for 1900 miles of earth
grading and for 600 miles of gravel
ing. The commission can not build
over 400 miles year. To the secre-
tafy 1T begins to look as though the
state could not do any improving
after the program has been 70 per
cent completed. All the annual funds s
1T the commissions disposal will |;
then be absorbed in maintenance
costs, unless a means is found to in
crease the 100000 to 5000. 900 now
available. That will be in about
TWO years, according to Mr.. Ermat- /.
niger.
AcdNy maintenance Costs
Inc maintenance costs according
% Secretary Ermatinger are run
,lng between $40O and $500 a mile.
Jne car wastes per year on an aver
age OF a cubic year of gravel he
'ald: This means that the improved
'oads will have to be ragraveled
very four to six years, depending
m the volume of traffic to which
ne road is subjected. Traffic has
'een increasing % per cent on the
'verage, according to the COM
MISSIONS statistics, and the use Of
rusks has increased so per cent.
while the end is not yet, SO that
year and tear are likely to grow
ather than diminish.
linen snow protection also is cost J
ne the commission a pretty penny.
1ast year the commission had to
ut 100000 into snow equipment.
ncluded in which were lot Of four
,heel-drive trucks. In snow fences
w miles OF this sort of protection
,ere completed in 1923. At the close
1927 the commission had 142lj
lilies. or 10000 feet of this up.
In bridges the commission has
cen doing very little. It is build !.
lg small one at BOX Elder and it
gently let contract for one at
alley City. The proposed Fargo
ridge is in deadlock on account Of \;
liability to reach satisfactory ar
angements with the authorities on 4
1e Minnesota side. Requests for H
ridge over the Pembina river on Il
lghway No. 81 recently was
Bridge Conditions
In preparing for 1929 the COM
ission recently considerably pared
budget. The. money available for
lc year as announced as $781657.
}, OF which the state will provide
s69, 58l.12, the fedora! government.
PIG, 662.23 and the various count
8, 1896, 414.44 The roads On which
rs is to be spent have not been de-