The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-08-04

CVuUGCttCub VSsoVottNV ohot - of the National Industrial Recov- cry act ssoo. .Oo0.o0o appropriation for highways will be expended on nineteen different highway im- provement projects. totaling 73.70 miles in length. 1t was announced to-day by Highway Commissioner John A. Macdonald, following ten- tntive approval of general plans by the secretary of agriculture and the special board for public works.
 Under the MIRA terms. the fol- lowing apportionment of funds has been approved for Connecticut: On the federal aid highway system outside the corporate limits of municipalities. 49 per cent: on ex- tensions Of the federal aid highway system into and through munich paiities, 28 per cent; on secondary or feeder roads. 23 per cent. The work will be undertaken in seven of the states eight counties.
 Finald approval of the projects with possible alterations will come after detailed plans and specified tions concerning dimensions, ma terials, labor. etc. have been com plcted. These detailed plans will be submitted to Washington with in short time. After final ap- proval, the 19 projects will be sub niitted to contractors for the sub mission of sealed bids and the award of contracts will be made in the same manner as regular state road contracts.
 The projects submitted for ap- pr0val by Commissioner Macdonald cali for several different types of highway improvement, including $50 miles of landscaping opera tions which are required under the rules established by the special board of public works.
 The three longest paving jobs in the MIRA group will be built of bituminous macadam. One of II miles will be constructed in the towns of North Branford, Guiiford, Madison and Killingworth on Route No 30 from the east end of the Foxon road to Route No S1 between Clinton and Haddam. An other of equal length will run through the towns of Preston, Griswold and Voluntown from Preston center to the Rhode Island state line. The third. measuring ten miles, will be built in Ston- tngton and North Stonington from Route No S4 at Old Mystic to the Rhode Island line in North Ston- ington. over an entirely new right of way.
 Eight of the projects will come federal aid highway system into under the heading extensions of and through municipalities" The eight cities in or near which work will be done are Bridgeport. Mid dietown. New Britain. New Haven. Nerwalk. Torrington, Waterbury and West Hartford. The MIRA ruling Is that New England town ships are not ''municipalities'' in the sense of the National Industrial Recovery act provision. specifying that at least 25 per cent of each states funds shall be spent on fed. eral roads into and through" municipalities.
 No provision has been made un- der the MIRA appropriation for highway, proposed auxiliary through-route to New York run ming north of the Boston Post road through Fairfield county. Commis- sioner Macdonald states. however, that work on the Merritt highway will be included in the states regu- lar program. much of which Is now in the process of prepara ton.
 Employment of labor on the MIRA projects will be entirely in the hands of the successfully bid ding contractors to whom the work is finally awarded. State regula. tions require that labor shall be obtained as far as 1t Is possible in the localities In which the work is being undertaken and that prefer ence must be given to Connecticut citizens. The federal regulations limit the working week for labor on these projects to 30 hours and set the minimum pay for unskilled labor at 45 cents per hour and for skMled labor at 60 cents per hour.
 The l9 projects as announced by Commissioner Macdonald to-day are described briefly as follows:
 Litchfield County
 1. Town of Sharon, $50 miles of grading and gravel surfacing, between Cornwall and sharon, Route No 4.
 2. Towns of Salisbury and Sharon. 20 miles of landscaping on U. s. Route No [.
 l9. Town of Torrington, O.75 miles of concrete, on East Main street.
 New Haven County
 5. Town of Waterbury, 2.5O miles Of concrete resurfacing on Route No 8 from Main street, north through Watervilie to end of state improvement.
 8. Towns of Woodbridge and Bethany, 50 miles of landscaping on the New Haven c Bthany- Water bury road. Route No 63.
 9. Towns of Southbury and Ox- ford, so miles of concrete on the Seymour-Southbury road, Route No 67.
 10. Towns of North Branford, Guilford. Madison and Killing worth. 1i0 miles of bituminous ma cadam, on Route No 80 from Fox on road east to Killingworth.
 IF. Town of New Haven, 20 miles of sheet asphalt on concrete base. from the Boston Post road at the junction of Congress and Davenport avenues north on Boule. yard to Chapel street, near Yale Bowl
 Fairfield County
 II. Towns of Bridgeport, 1.40 miles of sheet asphalt on concrete base on Boston avenue (Boston Post road by-pass).
 4. Town of Norwalk, O.50 mile of bituminous and concrete resur-