From Bayard the new road runs north four miles, which is some departure from the old road that used to run west from Bayard past the sugar factory, the commissioners desiring to get the road away from the "seep land" near the sugar factory that has made the road so hard to travel and keep up. From the point four miles north of Bayard the new road runs straight west until it enters Scotts Bluff county.

The commissioners had two important matters tc consider in selecting the route near Bridgeport. The first was to get away from the sand north of the river, as the cost would be excessive. This was done, as before described, by turning the road sharply to the west from the Northport crossing and then continuing along the south side of the ' Burlington track. Then, running southeast from Bridgeport, the road was held as closely to the river as practicable, which makes it a water grade road and at reasonable expense of building and upkeep.

The second problem was to designate a road that would serve the greatest number of people, and would fill the demand for postal routes, that are badly needed along

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

the south side of the valley. These postal routes have been urged for years, and the land along the proposed routes is becoming densely populated. This does not mean that the road on the north side of the river between Bridgeport and Broadwater will be neglected, as it will be maintained by the county, but it does mean that the route on the south side would serve the greatest number of people at this time. The state and federal aid is for roads most needed. The commissioners are pledged to a good roads program, and each district will receive attention as rapidly as possible.