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WAUPACA POST March 15, 1923
WEYAUWEGA TO FREMONT ON CONCRETE HIGHWAY NO. 18 ONLY ONE IN THIS SECTION OF STATE TO GET FEDERAL –STATE AID IN 1923
Waupaca to St. Louis over a concrete road. Sounds like a dream. But it is a dream that will become a reality in the near future. Two sections of this road are already concreted, one between Weyauwega and Waupaca, and the other between Fremont and Zittau on highway 95, and last week we received word that the Senate had passed a bill putting state trunk highway 18 on the Federal Aid Jobs for 1923. This means that 18 will be concreted between Fremont and Weyauwega and that concrete will be laid through Weyauwega to connect with the concrete at Wurzbach’s corner. Highway 18 between Weyauwega and Fremont is probably one of the worse pieces of road in the state and is the bore of autoists. This good news is probably the result of a trip to Madison last summer by a number of Weyauwega, Waupaca and Fremont boosters, who took up the matter of this road with state highway engineer A.R. Hirst and impressed upon him the necessity of a good road on 18. Mr. Hirst, at that time, assured the visitors that 18 would be one of the first projects and this will now come to pass. This road carries much of the through travel from Chicago across the state and the news that it will be concreted will be hailed with delight by travelers. Following is part of a letter received by Geo. H. Dobbins of Fremont, which bears on the subject of highway 18: Madison, March 7, 1923. – “Relative to the construction of State Trunk Highway No. 18, between Fremont and Weyauwega. We have instructed Mr. Mengel to go ahead with the preparation of these plans and it will be one of this year’s Federal Aid jobs, and pushed as soon as the legislature makes further state funds available to meet the federal Aid. Such a bill passed the Senate yesterday unanimously, and should be through the House next week, and a law about April 1st. Immediately thereafter we will advertise for bids and let this work.” “With kindest personal regards, I am “Yours very sincerely, “A.R. HIRST. “State Highway Engineer.” Winnebago county will continue the concreting east from Zittau, this year, where work was halted last year. We understand that a stretch of five miles will be added to this section and perhaps next year this will be connected with the Winneconne road. This will leave only a short stretch from Fremont to the beginning of the concrete that was laid on this road last year and this will undoubtedly be constructed in the near future. Then there is a stretch of about three miles of gravel road between the end of the concrete on the west at Waupaca. As soon as this becomes worn out, it also probably will be concreted. Therefore, it is not a very great stretch of the imagination to say, “From Waupaca to St. Louis on concrete,” and we expect to see that accomplishment within a very few years. – Weyauwega Chronicle.
The above quotation from the letter of Engineer Hirst will serve as further evidence that it is the plan of the Wisconsin Highway Commission to have Highway No. 18 eventually concreted through its entire length. With this fact outstanding, can any taxpayer feel satisfied that half the money to be expended by Wauapca county on highway construction in 1923 is to be laid out on gravel surface in town of Farmington west of Waupaca? We are informed that one mile of road south of Clintonville was surfaced with gravel int eh summer of f1921 and then surfaced with concrete in 1922. We submit that this is a waste that should not be repeated on Sheridan-Waupaca road in 1923. |