The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-08-19

Two sections of the Merritt Highway; by-passes around the centers of Norwich on Route No. 12, Seymour on Route No. 8 and Middletown on Route No. 9; ten sections of highway improvement each measuring more than five miles in length and many impor- tant jobs of lesser lengths were in- cluded among the thirty-two pro- jects in the program which High way Commissioner Macdonald sub mitted to the Chairman Archibald McNeil of the MIRA advisory board yesterday, with the request that thirty per cent of their cost be financed by a grant of $1,957,200 from the federal government.
 The grant was asked under the MIRA public works section which enables the federal government to advance funds for public works, with the agreement that the politi- cal subdivision which uses them need repay only seventy per cent, the other thirty per cent being an outright grant. Instead of borrow ing from the federal government and repaying seventy per cent, Commissioner Macdonald asks that, inasmuch as the state has highway funds available, the MIRA consider those funds seventy per cent of the cost and make an outright grant of thirty per cent. l. Commissioner Macdonald says that plans for much of the work are already complete and that the highway department engineering force is ready to start on the others immediately, so that ap- proval of the program would be one of the quickest ways possible of putting men to work.
 According to tentative estimates, the program submitted by the com missioner yesterday will cost about $6,524,000. The total length of highway improvement involved is 140.8 miles. Improvements are planned in every county in the state.
 The program is as follows: Greenwich - Section of Merritt Highway. New York state line easterly about four miles. (First stage of construction) 40 miles. Norwalk, Wilton, Weston, Red- ding, Newtown-Section of Nor walk -Newtown Turnpike, so-called, on Routes 103 and 57. 16.0 miles Ridgefield-Section of Route 102, Ridgefield to Branchville. 3.2 miles, Easton-Section of Route 59, known as Sport Hill and Center road. 3.2 miles.
 Stratford Section of Boston avenue, so-called, on U. s. Route IA. 0.5 miles.
 Monroe, Shelton - Huntington Turnpike, so-called Route 110. 5.S
 miles.
 Brookfeld, Bridgewater-Route 25. Bridge and approaches over the Housatonic river. 0.6 miles. sherman, Section of Route 39, north end of the present improved section northerly to Route 55. 2.20 miles.
 Fairfield, Trumbull-Section o1 the Merritt Highway north ot Bridgeport, extending from Route 65 westerly towards Route 58 (First stage of construction.) 40 miles.
 Kent-From U. s. Route z al
 Bulls Bidge westerly to the New York State Line, including bridge,
 0.8 miles. Kent, Warren-From the east end of present improvement on Route 341 in Kent easterly to the west end of the present improved road in Warren. 3.5 miles.
 Salisbury North Canaan-Sec.
 tion of Route 199 from Salisbury
 to Canaan. 8.5 miles.
 Watertown--Scction of Route 63 from the north end of the present improved road northerly to the Morris town line. 4.5 miles. Seymour-By-pas around cen. ter of Seymour on Route 8, includ- ing bridges, or miles.
 Waterbury, Prospect line northwesterly to Waterbury
 City line on Route 6s. 1.7 miles. Waterbury, Wolcott - From the Waterbury City Line north westerly to the Wolcott- Bristol Town Line. 7.5 miles.
 Durham, Haddam-Section .ot road from Route 15 to Route g. between Durham center and Hig- ganum. 7.5 miles.
 Middletown-By-pass on Route
 g from the point near the bridge over the Connecticut River, south erly to South Farms. 1.3 miles. Colchester, East Haddam - Route I'll from the south end oi the present improvement near Comstock's bridge, southeriy tc
 Route 149, near Moodus. 2.2 miles Norwich-By-pass route around City of Norwich from the Norwich. Montyiile Town Line to Route "A