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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – PERMANENT ROAD FOR WELLAND COUNTY
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 10 March 1921]
Editor Tribune and Telegraph:-
Kindly allow me space for a few lines re better roads in Welland county particularly in the vicinity of Welland. The writer had occasion a few days ago to travel over the road from Cook’s Mills to Welland, and was surprised to find it in such bad condition, as it had had been repaired a year ago last fall. It has flattened out, and in some places broken through, until it will need almost as much material and labor to repair it as it did to build. I am not finding fault with the county council or the superintendent, for I am aware they can build only such roads as the Provincial Government will sanction and help pay for. The road referred to is one that has an unusual amount of traffic. Situated as it is, it has to stand double duty from Welland to Crowland town hall, where the traffic from Niagara Falls, and also the south-east part of the county, including Buffalo and U.S. travel, join. This road probably gets more and heavier traffic than any similar road in the county. It appears to be time our county council made a start in something more permanent than water bound macadam. The Provincial Government is building permanent roads in various parts of Ontario. Possibly it could be induced to help pay for either a concrete or asphalt surfaced road here, for it must be apparent to anyone that the ratepayers’ money is being put to poor use building anything else where there is so much traffic, because we are paying out too much for up-keep and have not got a good road then. The writer believes the present roadbed might be used as the sub-base for concrete road, and if it can, the cost will not be prohibitive. But in any case, the cost of constant repairs will soon be more than the permanent road. Will the City of Welland and the townships east and south join in urging the county council at their next good roads session, which will be held this month, to make a start, and surely this road is one that needs it very badly. The writer had the pleasure of being one in the party that R. Cooper took on a good roads tour of inspection down in New York State a few years ago, and remembers a road about five miles from Niagara Falls that had been built some five or six years at a (pre war) cost of some eight thousand dollars per mile. It was an asphalt finish and had stood up splendidly, being almost as perfect as when laid. Possibly our county council and Mr. Campbell of the G.R. department could get some data on the particular road that would help Welland county to get better value for our taxes. In any case, it is time a change was made in our good roads system.
Thanking you, Mr. Editor, for space, and hoping something will be done in permeant road building in 1921.
I remain,
H.L. Shisler
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