The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-01-26
ROADS PROGRAM
tcontinued from Page one)

of No. 35 highway south OF Tower which
traverses the same route as County
Highway 81, between Embarrass and
what is commonly known as "Salo's
Corner" This is about three miles in
length. Our reason for asking for this
project is: st. Louis County is black
topping No. 81 from it's junction with
State Highway No. 1863 as far as Salo's
Corner this summer and is stabilizing
and black-topping as much Of the rest
of No. 81, east to the end OF the present
black-topping, as can be done this
year. The completion Of this black
topping will give us dustless, hard
surface road on which to detour when
you are ready to start paving on No. l
between Tower and Ely. The reason
we are so concerned about possible de-
tours is the fact that we have ridden
over dusty, winding, narrow, waSh-board
detours every summer for a couple
months, while the state was paving q
few miles each year on No. 1859 be-
tween Tower and Virginia, or was doing
some reconstruction work that neceSsi-
tated a detour for the past ten years.
Last year, due to our insistent protests
the state did withhold start of paving
on the last few miles of No. 169 until
the first of September. This gave our
tourists a dustless and fairly good road
all of the way last summer.
The number three project for this
year is the completion of the one-half
mile new construction at the east end
of the City of Ely which was started
last fall and which will eliminate two
right angle turns on No. coming into
the City from the east.
We also have had in the past what
we called our long term program, some
of which was the black-topping of No.
81, county highway and the paving
of the state highway between Virginia
and Ely through Tower. Now that the
paving is finished to Tower, we are
anxious to have you give consideration
to a paving program between Ely and
Tower. However, we have been stress
ing this one thing for the past three or
four years and you will note that sug-
gestion in recommendation from the
Northeastern Minnesota Good Roads
association, and that is that you make
every effort to plan your program so
that the entire piece of road between
Ely and Tower be done in one years
operation. We are not doing like a lot
of communities and asking that this be
done this year, but do want to see some
definite program set up that will take
care of this much needed project with
in reasonable time. All we are asking
for is one paved road coming into Ely.
believe that we are the only COM
munity in the entire state with a popu-
lation of 1000 that does not have q
paved road coming to or through it.
Then, of course, we are interested in
the proper maintenance of the present
road before it Is paved. We did have
some instances of neglect on mainten-
ance few years back, which may have
been because of lack of equipment. At
present our road between Ely and Tower
could stand much more sanding that it
has been possible to give it with the
one truck that is now allotted to this
section. We did have a truck located
at Ely, which was transferred to Vir-
GINA, few weeks ago, and they are
now using but one truck operating out
of Tower. This truck, as understand
it has about sixty miles or more to care
for.
We would appreciate your kind con-
sideration of the suggestions offered
here and would appreciate having you
write us as to what you believe can be
done on this program.
RAY HOEFLER,
Cacraforv I1x, Noroy,,oroiaI <xI,,t,