Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1916 — BAD JUDGMENT WAS SHOWN [ARTICLE]

BAD JUDGMENT WAS SHOWN

In Starting Work on Bridge With* out Making a Temporary Structure. Some very poor judgment has certainly been exercised this season in the matter of the bridge over the Howe ditch south of Rensselaer on the Rensselaer-Remington road. One of the abutments of this bridge went down during the heavy rains early last summer, and the bridge was closed for traffic several weeks while repairs were being made. Traffic -was diverted all this time over part dirt roads that were a disgrace to civilization, roads that no effort whatever had been made to put in a passable condition, and scores of automobiles, both local and tourist, were mired down and had to be pulled out with horses in attempting to make these detours, while such a thing as haul* ing loads of grain or lumber over the roads was out of the question. Finally the abutment was repaired, after the rainy season was over and the detour roads had become passable, and this road—we believe the most traveled twelve miles of road in the state —was reopened to traffic. The repairs made were solid and substantial and the bridge would probably have stood for many years, but it was decided to put in a new and longer bridge there, so contracts were let September. 5 for a new 70-foot, 16-foot roadway bridge to take its place; also contract for removal of the old bridge to Barkley township over the Jun-gles-Davla ditch. The contract price •for the new bridge was $3,595,

and four weeks ago tomorrow the road was closed and the work of removing the old bridge and putting in the abutments for the new structure were beguh.

Now, understand, not a thing had been done during the summer to put the roads necessary for the detouring while this work was being done in decent condition—and many well informed people say that a temporary bridge at the side of the old structure could have been put in for SSO to take care of the traffic until the new bridge was

completed. Except for the extra distance to travel and the extreme roughness of the detour roads, it did not make so much hardship while the roads were dry, but after each rain—and for the past week we have had enough rain to make each of-these detour roads what Sherman said about war—and scores of automobiles have got stuck in the mire, while the atmosphere in the locality of these sinkholes has been of a lurid, sulphuric hue both day and night. As a matter of fact a county should be made liable for admages that would permit such things to exist as this, and it is probable that actions for damages would lie if anyone were to take the matter

into court. It is uncalled for and is a disgrace to Jasper county. If a new bridge was to have been put in it should have been started much earlier in the season and a temporary bridge constructed or the detour roads repaired to make them passable. Poor business judgment and lack of ordinary “horse sense” is very much in evidenec in this matter. The abutments were completed October 14, but the material for the bridge was not shipped until last week, we are told—it comes from Rochester, Indiana—and how much longer t'he public will have to put up with this thing is problematical. In any event it will probably be two or three weeks, even though the iron was on the ground now—which it isn’t—and in the meantime the rains have made the detour roads a regular quagmire in several places. Few travel between Rensselaer and Remington now if they can avoid it, and besides the inconvenience to the public it is a handicap to the business interests of both towns.