The State Highway Commission on June 29, 1917, let a contract to the
Warren Construction Company for paving a ten mile section of the Wild
Horse Road northeast of Pendleton and one mile of the Old Oregon Trail
leading west from Pendleton. The pavement laid was bitulithic and the
subgrade was an old macadam road built by the County. The macadam road
was of insufficient width for supporting a 16 foot pavement, which
condition required widening of the grade, re-ditching and the placing of
extra crushed rock for base.
The widening of the road bed was done with County funds expended under
the direction of the State Highway Department. The work of widening the
grade cost the County, $9,975.00 for the 11 miles.
[Illustration: ON THE PAVED ROAD BETWEEN PENDLETON AND ADAMS IN UMATILLA
COUNTY. PAVED IN 1917]
Paving work begun in July, 1917, and an excellent pavement of the
standard two-inch bitulithic type was secured, with a six inch crushed
rock base. The total cost of this work was $162,626.56 or $14,784.22 per
mile. M. O. Bennett was the engineer in charge and Chas. Noble was the
inspector on this work. Following is a detailed cost statement: