The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-02-27
Connecting Links With Lincoln
Highway and With the North
western Turnpike.

Improvements that will mean the
cutting down of running time to
Baltimore, Washington and other
points east from Cumberland at least
twenty minutes are rapidly going
ahead on the National Highway,
Route 40, on the mountains between
Cumberland and Hancock. Winter
has not interfered with, the grading
on which rapid progress has been
made. The work has been so arranged
that traffic has not been interfered
with at all. There are no detours.
By August 1, it is assured, all new
sections will be in full use and the
National Highway from Frostburg to
Baltimore will have been completely
shouldered, and in modern alignment
the historic thoroughfare will be the
<1ast word" as far as engineering
skill is concerned. $50
During the past season about 33
miles of concrete shoulders have been
completed from Conococheague, five
miles west of Hagerstown to the top
of Martins Mountain, nine miles east
of Cumberland. The State Roads
Commission, under the direction of
District Engineer Leo T. Downey,
has back-filled and brought up with
lnacadam these shoulders to perfect
the roadbed.
Completing Mountain Sections
Three incompleted sections are now
under construction by way of grading
to make line changes and improve
the general alignment and riding
qualities of the road. The grading on
,Sideling Hill, the last of the five big
mountains in going from Cumberland
to Hancock, 4.57 miles, will be COM
pleted by the Cumberland Contract
ing Company about March Is. An
other section from the bottom Of Town
Hill to the top of Green Ridge, seven
miles in length, for which the Thorn
as-Bennet-Hu Company has the
contract, will also be completed about
the same time.
On the west slope Of Polish noun
tain, the second mountain encountered
in going east of Cumberland, which
has the most tortuous curves of any
of the five in the 80 miles between
Cumberland and Hancock, the shovel
was started nearly two weeks ago
and this grading will have been COM
pleted by April 1.
Will Reduce Running Time
After these sections have been
graded, it is the intention to lay con-
crete and macadam across the re-
locations and the regular back fill of
macadam at all other points along
the concrete shoulders. While the
distance will not be materially shor
tened, bad kinks on all the mountains
will be eliminated by the improved
alignment. The motorist will be able
to speed up more following the re-
moval of scores Of sharp turns which
necessitated slowing down. The lia-
bility of accident will also be mater
tally reduced.
Among the most striking instances
of change is about midway of the
western slope of Sideling Hill where
for a quarter of a mile complete
new roadbed is being made, substitute
ing a long curve for three reverse
curves. Another is the making of
the eastern side of Town Hill, which
next to the west side of Polish Noun
tain, had the largest number of sharp
curves, into almost straight line, ex-
cept at the bottom where there is a
long gradual curve. The reverse curve
at the foot of Polish Mountain on the
, west side will be replaced by long,
wide curve with no reverse. It was
at first contemplated, I'd make a
straight line approach, but !. it was
found a fill of too great a magnitude
would be required. The road from
Frostburg to Baltimore will be at no
point less than 20 feet wide, with the
actual surface on curves more than
twenty feet. Several important chan
ges in alignment were made last fall.
This includes new approach to the
top of Green Ridge on the west side
and the relocation of the road bed at
points in the vicinity Of Piney Grove
where heretofore it would occasional
ly be flooded from the rapid rise of
small streams. "''lt; '|H
Another Lincoln Highway Connection
There are a number 3f other i'm
portant projects to be carried out
d,'r'.~ the coming season. One calls
for another connection between the
National Highway and the Lincoln
Highway. 1t is a two-mile project
starting at the western end of Grants
vile toward the Pennsylvania line to
connect with the road to Salisbury
and on to the Lincoln Highway. The
grading has been completed. This
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