Show we must have good roads leading to basin numerous comments and articles appearing recently in the various newspapers of the stata have nearly all been very favorable toward the proposal that a high class mode aly constructed paved highway be built into the uintah basin however there have been some figures quoted as having come from H S kurr chief engineer of lof the utah state road commission which seems to indicate that mr kurr feels that the undertaking der taking is too great a one for car state stale to consider i the figures quoted as having come from mr kurr karr are very closely in accord with those suggested in former articles appearing in this paper everyone knows that a modern modem hig high gh class concrete pavement such as we suggest costs money a fair figure being from to 30 r a mile pavements which will adequately carry the traffic of today 0 ver over the flit trunk lines of the nation can not be built out of thin air no doubt mr kurr karr has in mind the present available revenues of the road commission and knows that tt a program of i construction and expenditure pend iture has been mapped out for several years to come and which does doea not include paving into the basin the people of me basin can readily realize that this is the condition and that it is apparent that if ever we are to have a paved road while yet we live it will be financed not with the current revenues now available but in just some such manner as as outlined in our former articles the united states today is a nation on wheels statistics show that there is now an automobile for less than every five persons and who can gainsay what it will be five years hence not only are automobiles increasing in number but in speed and weight also it is not at all unusual to pass on the road tracks weighing hiag iu im the aggregate ten tons or more and traveling at speeds fully equal to if not superior to the average freight train traba it therefore requires no great stretch of the imagination to forsee what is going to happen to our lightly constructed gravel and oil roads quoting from a speech made by chairman henry IL blood of the state road commission before the state press association at salt lake sept 3 1927 mr blood had the following to say one of the biggest bi 1 est problems in state road work is keeping un roads all ready cons constructed tract al in many cases it is found that traffic ou on newly constructed roads increases beyond any expectations and that makes necessary the construction of jetter better roads to take care of the added burden mr blood is a sound and logical thinker a practical business trashiness tra siness man and aad is well versed in road matters generally what he says in this instance is fully substantiated by the fact that last year ac according corling to published statements the state lex ex for maintenance alone the munificent sum of which is just less than the total amount allotted this state in federal aid which is per annum it is very plain to ito be seen that we cannot make much headway hinder funder these conditions we certainly have no desire to criticise criticism critic ise or dictate we believe our state road commission is doing the very best that can be done under the present policy we do kno know however that we are living in a day and age of swift and rapid development which requires vision and lots of it if we hope to keep pace with the spirit of the times A paved road into the uintah basin such as we are advocating in time will have become an actuality necessity and economy will demand it and the people will insist upon it what we have to say in the matter therefore is purely suggestive and but an earnest attempt to impress upon the people of this state stat ethe ithe advisability of closer affiliation with the people of the basin our suggestion is to make hay while the sun shines if our own state does not want to develop and profit by the advantages es that the uintah basin has to offer there is an adjoining state that does and which is already working earnestly and ardently to that end |