Issues: Local Transport Infrastructure
In 1910, the Connecticut State Highway Commisioner James H. Macdonald visited Europe to attend the International Convention of the Good Roads Association. While on that trip he inspected the highways of all the principal cities of Europe. As reported in The Willimantic Chronicle in September 1st of 1910, the State Highway Comissioner gained a thorough conception of the good roads movement abroad and some ideas which he intended to put into practice in Connecticut.
According to the State Highway Comissioner in this report, the issue the State of Connecticut had was that the entire attention of the government was directed to the maintenance of highways and little to road building. He attributed this issue to the fact highways were built long before good roads were thought of. Therefore, Connecticut was handicapped by having its roadwork divided into two departments, one for maintenance and the other for road construction.
To address Connecticut's road issue, Macdonald said he planned on establishing a system practiced in France and England in which the state would be divided into two sections. Each section would have a gang of men who would be directly in charge for the conditions of the roads in their district. In addition, the plan included placing a supervisor in each section. Supervisors were the ones who would oversee the roads in their respective counties.