Show BASIN MADS I 1 KY FEDERAL infirm ha ira FI fi i OFFICER iams rk inasy U 1 I 1 vi I 1 ilir lint lined d sut surface face Ilig imay to castle rate gate haims on final project wits was first iu in utah to ilk undertaken in connection with willi federal aid SALT LAKE LAIC E CITY oct 2 29 9 A telephone me message asage front from J P ellis assistant state road engineer receive ed yesterdaY by 11 C means M eans state road engineer stated that th at federal aid project no 1 the Cast legit and duchesne road has been finally accepted by the federal government mr ellis was talking froin price after lie he and B W matteson Matt esou senior highway engineer tor for the dis erict office of the united states bureau burcan of public roads had been over this project they also went ovet project no 10 A the twist canyon section of the fort duchesne ver nal road which is nearly comp completed letea hut but some additional work will be required there the castlegate duchesne road the first federal aid project undertake ii in utah has proved among the most vexatious in ill many ways in the early days of federal aid tor for post roads a somewhat strict interpretation waa wa placed on the definition of a poi post t road ro ad and as a result it was held impossible under the federal aid act accas as it then stood tor for the federal government to participate in construction of 0 many of the main highways of the state this was tor for the reason that the main traveled highways usually were paralleled by railroads and the mall mail was carried by rail rather than on tile the highways it was found that only comparatively small sections of some or of the most important roads in the state stale were used in the transmission of the malls and these only by the rural route carriers however the united states mall mail into the uintah basin was waa at that thai time going partly by way of price and tor for part of the year at least ly by way of the castlegate duchesne road the eligibility of this road to feder al aid therefore aias never much it at all in doubt I 1 needed in it war i the road however had even greater claims on oil the consideration of state and federal government at thit inn time the nation was then at war every effort was being mado made to encourage agricultural production the ability of the uintah basin to produce food for the nation the allies and the soldiers was well known but the iho pcb sivility sibl lity of getting the food to market was limited by transportation baci facilities if hence the necessity of 0 developing a line of communication was stressed and perhaps for this reason as much as any other the castle gale bale ducheane road was named as federal ald aid project no 1 and every haste was urged in getting it under ay 1 the load was found to be j 1 miles long preliminary engineering was wag done and finally the agreements agreement entered into although the routine tor for doing such work was at that time all new and difficulties kept cropping up at every step in the drocea priced urethe project agreement has been amended somewhat from that originally I signed but as it now stands I 1 the roadway is estimated to cost or a mile iu ih addition there were bridge structures to cost bringing the total estimated cost up to the remained 0 of the then state administration fund was spent in efforts to get this roadway completed lut but necessity for changing plans ignorance g of proper procedure ampa tience at what were considered unnecessary regulations errors in engineering gi and inspection and failure to follow orders caused all sorts of at difficulties variety of 0 labor some of the work was done by contract some was done by the state direct convict labor was used on part parl of 0 the lie road and a nd in th the e meant meantime I 1 me costs kept I ept creeping ui lily until the road has actually cost probably or twice as much a as 9 was first estimated the alie difference in fit the cost has been borne by tile state almost altogether most 0 of tile the road was in duchesne county and that county was unable t to 0 c contribute oil t ri b ut e an any y 1 large a r g e a amounts m s T the li e st stale a to r road 0 a d e commission om m is s i 0 n h however oali v ner ha had d available the proceeds from the sale of 0 road bonds bonda and tills this fund was drawn on from time lime to time tile the road was practically completed and has been la in use before the democratic administration went out of office however it was known that additional expenditures would have to be made before it was in shape to be accepted by the federal bureau under the regulations controlling that body in the meantime maintenance te liance has been necessary since the road la Is being constantly subjected to heavy traffic particularly during the summer months the present administration had no state funds to draw on but tile the fea eral government had bad withheld part of its allotment to this road and it was found that this amount would be sufficient to complete the raad to the tha satisfaction of the federal engine engineers erb the present administration had a very carefully care tully detailed estimate made of the work that would lial hai to be done on the road and this beir this was carded out the road is now therefore in tiptop shape an any 1 in such condition that the federal engineer has accepted it which mean that as soon as the necessary vouchers can call be put through the state slate will be to tile the extent of 0 about maintenance problem this road by the way now opens up another problem that of maintenance the state which in this ase means tile the counties of carbon and Dit duchesne chesne but principally tile the hattei j is under obligation to maintain th alie e road in passable condition the road crosses a high summit mid and every winter so tar far has been blocked to automobile traffic tr alTie one favo favorable winter it was kept open until spring was almost at a hand and then a af of heavy snows closed it and closed it tightly for several months the only possible traffic in ill such times is ia by sleighs tha federal government through the post postoffice office tice department is interest rd in the maintenance of the road however the postoffice post office department regulations do not permit any money to be spent on tile the roads traveled that is considered the problem of the community when one of the heavy parcel post trucks operated between price and t hie IP uintah baan gets stuck the officials may spend pend woney money to get it out oft of tile the mud liole or oi snowdrift snow dritt and tor for example hors fg cis may be sent in tor for that purpose but there is no authority to send the horses ahead of the truck and have them drag a snow plow over th b road to obviate the blockading ot of the truck at times the parcel post operate over the route by trucks at each end mail Is transferred from the trucks to wagons and from wagons to sleighs and then hack back again such stich operations are of course expensive ind the post department la Is bringing every pressure possible to bear on the state and local authorities to have the road kept open now that the state and the counties through the state are charged with the duty of maintaining tho the road or will be just as soon as the federal government pays its final voucher on the cost of the road some official interpretation as to whether proper maintenance of the road in I 1 evolves keeping it open or a bone bolls icide attempt to keep it open to truck traffic raffle throughout all winter may be forthcoming it Is quite probable however that the question of reasonable cost will enter into whatever ruling is made tribune |