Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 185, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 August 1911 — Injury to Roads by Heavy Hauling in Making New Roads. [ARTICLE]

Injury to Roads by Heavy Hauling in Making New Roads.

Benton County Review. The board of county commissioners and county attorney, C. M. Snyder, are engaged in devising means to compel road contractors to makegood the damage which they may do to roads already constructed while engaged in building a new highway. While is was generally recognized that almost irreparable damage was being done to existing highways through hauling heavy loads of stone and gravel for the. construction of new roads, the matter was brought forcibly to mind in the construction of the Bowers road. In this instance a heavy traction engine was used to pull a string of "wagons, each of which contained from five to eight yards of stone. The weight was too much for the roads which are built here for ordinary traffic, and this new highway, constructed at the cost of several thousand dollars, was badly cut up. The policy which has been pursued is about as logical as that of a man digging one hole to fill up another. But in a man who gate a road contract-in Benton county will obligate himself to leave the highways in as good shape as they were when he commenced to use them. Just what plan will be devised to accomplish this end has not been 'decided upon, but the provision will probably be embodied In the notice and in the contract It has been found that the use of the traction engine cannot be prohibited, as the King’s highway Is open to all but the man who abuses its privileges and he may be compelled to repair the damage he has done.