Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 163, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1914 — ROADS ABE EAD; JASPER IS BEHIND [ARTICLE]

ROADS ABE EAD; JASPER IS BEHIND

Must Do Something io Make Boads Better—Suggestion About Brick i i Bead to College. Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Engltefoof Danville, HL, visited his brother, Dr. E. C. English and family, Sunday. They were on their way to Danville from Chicago, and Mr. English stated that by far the worst roads encountered were in Jasper county. Many others are saying the same thing and our local people confirm the statements. Jasper county is spending many thousands otf dollars each year in repair work and forces of men are at work all the time in filling up the hollows with new rock. Every new road that is constructed and turned over to the county adds to the expense of upkeep and it will prove burdensome to taxation before very long. Certainly we must do something to make the .roads better and at the same time guard the expense of upkeep. The Rensselaer-Remington road is probably the worst. It was built, that is, a considerable part of it, within the past eight years and has been repaired year after year. There is probably enough good rock between Rensselaer and the college to make a good toad, but it is always filled with chuck holes. Borne believe that it could be worked up, rolled, redressed and made into a good road without very great expense. Probably oil or tarvia could be used with satisfactory results. Some say that we are building our roads too cheaply and that we'must build better if we expect them to last. Several have been discussing the possibility of making a road of brick all the way to the college. The distance from the bridge to the college gate is about a mile. It is believed the present roadbed could be used with digging up, rolling, putting on the sand cushion and then the brick. Thirty feet wide might rot cost over $3 per running foot. This would make the improvement cost about $17,000 to the college. It would be worth the eost, we believe. In the meantime our road building and our system otf repairs needs to be given a lot of consideration, and something done to make our roads as good or even better than our neighbors.