In Morrow County there are found all cla.s.ses of conditions affecting roads and highway improvement. In some parts of the County there are good natural roads, while in other sections they are extremely poor. As in most other Eastern Oregon Counties, Morrow County has to wrestle with the problem of maintaining a large road mileage with a constant shortage of road funds. Highways are of extreme importance, as there are large agricultural communities that have no railway connections.
During the past two years the highway movement in Morrow County has experienced a wonderful growth. County authorities have broken the bonds of established custom, and have made a most creditable beginning in highway improvement. Although they have been supported by special road taxes, in most of the districts the available funds are far from adequate.
The State Highway Commission early realized the importance of good roads in this County, and took steps to extend the State aid through the Post Road Fund. The plans failed when the U. S. Office of Public Roads found it impossible to co-operate on the projects in question. This failure was due to nonfulfillment of post road requirements. Additional State aid was extended through the provisions of the $6,000,000.00 fund, but the execution of these plans were delayed by war conditions. This fund is still available, and the State Highway Commission will begin work as soon as conditions will permit.
Morrow County has received favorable consideration from the Highway Commission in the matter of surveys, it being the only county in Eastern Oregon in which the total mileage of State roads has been surveyed.
Those surveys cover the Columbia River Highway in the north end of the County, and the Oregon-Washington Highway via Heppner, Ione and Lexington.
The Columbia River Highway was first surveyed under the direction of M.
O. Bennett, and later additional work was done by Oscar Cutler. This survey was 13.85 miles in length. R. H. Baldock was locating engineer on the Oregon-Washington Highway survey, which has a total length of 66.1 miles.
Heppner Grading--Oregon-Washington Highway
During 1918 Morrow County graded 2.26 miles of standard road adjacent to the town of Heppner. A 1.82-mile section begins at the west city limits of Heppner and extends down Willow Creek on the State survey. Another section extends from the east city limits up Hinton Creek for a distance of .44 miles.
The County paid the total cost of this improvement which required $5,689.19. The State Department supplied the engineering supervision for this work through R. H. Baldock, resident engineer.
Following is a statement of construction quant.i.ties:
HEPPNER EAST
Common Excavation, 1,190 cu. yds. at. 43 $502.53 Culverts 216.35 ------- Total $ 718.88
HEPPNER WEST
Common Excavation, 850 cu. yds. at .48 $ 407.01 Intermediate Excavation, 2,150 cu. yds. at $1.11 2,385.30 Culverts 2,178.00 --------- Total $ 4,970.31
Jones Hill Grading
The 3.22-mile section of the Oregon-Washington Highway known as the Jones Hill Grade, lies about ten miles east of Heppner, and extends over the divide between Hinton and Butler Creeks. The State location involved the construction of an entirely new road. This improvement was paid for in full by the County, the total cost being $25,050.26.
R. H. Baldock, resident engineer for the State Highway Department, was the engineer in charge.
Construction quant.i.ties are shown in the following statement:
Rock Excavation, 6,200 cu. yds. at $3.98 $ 18,504.26 Common Excavation, 7,300 cu. yds. at .59 4,350.00 Culverts 2,200.00 ---------- Total cost $ 25,054.26
Heppner Macadam
After grading the 1.82-mile section of the Oregon-Washington Highway west of Heppner, and .44 miles east, Morrow County proceeded to surface with a standard waterbound macadam. This work was done on a force account basis by the United Contracting Co. and Warren Construction Co.
The work was completed and opened to traffic in July, 1918.
The 2.26 miles of macadam cost the County a total of $19,280.35. A total of 4,208 cubic yards of rock was placed, making the unit cost $4.56 per cubic yard. Crushed trap rock was secured from a quarry near the city limits, and suitable binder material was found near at hand. The engineer in charge was R. H. Baldock of the State Department.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY
Although the a.s.sessed valuation of Multnomah County is more than thirty-five per cent of the total a.s.sessed valuation of the entire State, this County has renounced all claim to any share of the State Funds available for road purposes, and will construct and maintain in a high state of improvement, at its own expense, all State Roads within its boundaries. This liberal att.i.tude of the people of Multnomah County is to be commended, and it makes available for expenditure in counties outside of Multnomah County, a much greater amount of money than would otherwise be the case.
The roads of Multnomah County represent some of the heaviest grading construction, some of the best improved and some of the most scenic highways to be found anywhere in the world. The Upper Columbia River Highway is by many considered the most scenic highway in the United States, and attracts a mult.i.tude of tourists annually.
An interesting tabulation of the amounts expended by Multnomah County in the construction of the Columbia River Highway, both above and below Portland, is appended:
COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY, EAST 82D STREET VIA SANDY ROAD TO HOOD RIVER COUNTY LINE
==============+=====+===========+===========+===========+============= Section |Miles| Pavement | Grading | Bridges | Total --------------+-----+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------- Sandy Road to |10.29|$183,001.41|$ 5,000.00|$ 14,845.33|$ 202,846.74 Troutdale | | | | | Sandy Cut-off | 2.47| 47,506.74| 94,389.04| ... | 141,895.78 to Auto Club| | | | | Bridge | | | | | Columbia River|26.68| 495,507.75| 601,012.13| 169,586.71| 1,266,106.59 Highway to | | | | | County Line | | | | | +-----+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------- Totals |39.44|$726,015.90|$700,401.17|$184,432.04|$1,610,849.11 --------------+-----+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------- Total Construction Cost $1,610,849.11 Engineering 72,004.95 ------------- Grand Total $1,682,854.06
VISTA HOUSE AT CROWN POINT
Building $68,314.36 Retaining Walls and Pavement 30,833.69 ---------- Total $99,148.05
ST. HELENS ROAD, PORTLAND TO COLUMBIA COUNTY LINE LENGTH, 16 MILES
===============+==========+==========+===========+==========+=========== | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | Totals ---------------+----------+----------+-----------+----------+----------- Regrade and | ... |$35,330.82| $16,444.10| ... | $51,774.92 Macadam | | | | | Hard Surface |$80,944.11| 4,111.79| 200,047.81| 41,393.37| 326,497.08 Shoulders | ... | 5,081.80| ... | ... | 5,031.80 Drainage | ... | ... | 5,022.19| ... | 5,022.19 Bridges | ... | 28,591.39| 14,203.21| ... | 42,794.60 Right of Way | ... | ... | 2,538.06| ... | 2,538.06 and Miscel- | | | | | laneous | | | | | Engineering, | 3,500.00| 3,400.00| 16,667.87| 2,000.00| 25,567.87 Superinten- | | | | | dence and | | | | | Overhead | | | | | +----------+----------+-----------+----------+----------- Total |$84,444.11|$76,465.80|$254,933.24|$43,393.37|$459,226.52 ---------------+----------+----------+-----------+----------+-----------
SUMMARY
Pavement $326,497.08 Bridges 42,794.60 Grading 64,366.97 Engineering and Overhead 25,567.87 ----------- Grand Total $459,226.52
POLK COUNTY
The work of the State Highway Department in Polk County during 1917 and 1918 has been confined chiefly to the design and the supervision of construction of bridges. In addition to the design and supervision of the Salem Bridge which is partly within Polk County, and which is described in detail in an article in the chapter devoted to Marion County, the Department has handled, at the request of the Polk County Court, the following bridge work, all of which has been paid for by the County.
Between Monmouth and Dallas a 37 foot reinforced concrete bridge was built over a slough on the Mulkey Cut-off. This bridge complete cost $1,898.17.
The Hollingshead Bridge over the Little Luckiamute River south of Dallas is a 72 foot covered wooden span on concrete piers. This bridge was built at a cost of $3,615.00.
A 160 foot suspension foot-bridge was built over the Big Luckiamute River at a cost of $500.00, to accommodate school children attending the Montgomery School.
The LaCreole Creek Bridge in Dallas is a reinforced concrete arch structure seventy feet long. This bridge was not designed by the Highway Department, but the Department supervised its construction. It is a very pretty structure with sidewalks and lighting fixtures. It was built at a cost of $10,755.68.
SHERMAN COUNTY
Sherman County is so situated with respect to the State Highway System, that its boundaries include a comparatively small mileage of State roads. This however, is no indication of the value improved roads will be in the County. The situation is of both state wide and local importance.
This County is found with many miles of good natural road. In addition they have graded a large mileage and in some localities unusual attention is given to road maintenance. The County is fairly well equipped for road work and have plans for quite an extensive program.
State aid in Sherman County thus far has been confined to highway surveying, but the State Highway Commission has definite plans for extending aid in the construction of the Deschutes and John Day River Bridges and the grading of the Columbia River Highway. It is expected this work will start early the coming season.