Lodge-Cooke City Highway. Both of these roads traverse very high country where there is lots of snow and spring run-off is very heavy. Also there is a great deal of heaving from freezing and thawing in the spring and fall. Practically no repair work has been done on these two roads for the past 4 years. Thousands of people will travel on these roads this coming summer. Allotments for their upkeep will come out of the $7,400,000 asked for from the Appropriation Committee for roads and trails for the National Park Service. Recently an agreement has been entered into between the chairman of the Montana Highway Commission, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Public Roads, under which the State undertakes light maintenance and snow removal of 15.5 miles of the Red Lodge-Cooke City Highway. The National Park Service undertakes major maintenance on this stretch and all of the upkeep on the 42.3 miles of the remainder of the road. For the information of the committee, I am filing a copy of a letter from Mr. Drury, Director of the National Park Service, addressed to Mr. Winkler, chairman of the Montana Highway Commission. (The letter referred to is as follows:) Mr. AL F. WINKLER, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, Washington 25, D. C., February 28, 1946. Chairman, Montana State Highway Commission, Helena, Mont. DEAR MR. WINKLER: In accord with the meeting this morning with you, Congressman D'Ewart and Mr. Nichols of the Public Roads Administration, the National Park Service requests that the State of Montana Highway Department assume maintenance of the 15.5 miles of the Red Lodge-Cooke City road from Red Lodge to the Montana State line. It is requested that the State highway commission perform snow removal and light maintenance on this section during the park season. The State will not be required at this time to do heavy maintenance, including large slide removals, reconstruction or improvement. If the State of Montana will assume maintenance of the above-mentioned Montana portion, the National Park Service will continue maintenance and improvement of the remaining 42.3 miles from the Montana State line to and through the park. Snow removal will be performed on the park section of the Red Lodge-Cooke City road concurrently with the snow removal on the Sylvan Pass road. According to the recommendations of the Public Roads Administration, it will be necessary to reseal and recondition the existing double prime bituminous surface treatment of the 42.3 miles which is now over 10 years old. This will contemplate an early expenditure of approximately $75,000 and, in addition, ordinary maintenance and snow removal will require an additional $30,500. Our ability to do this work will depend upon the Congress appropriating the item of $7,400,000 for roads and trails now pending before the House Appropriation Subcommittee for the Interior Department. It is understood that this will be a year-to-year agreement until such time as funds are available to reconstruct and improve the Montana section of 15.5 miles from Red Lodge to the Montana State line. When this section of the road is improved to acceptable standards, the National Park Service will expect the State of Montana to accept full and complete jurisdiction. It is requested that you signify your approval of this program by acceptance on the enclosed copy of this letter. Sincerely yours, NEWTON B. DRURY, Director. Mr. D'EWART. The appropriation of $7,400,000 to make park roads and trails safe for this summer travel is most urgently needed, and I request your favorable action in granting these funds. Mr. JOHNSON. Thank you very much. INDEX Adams, Hon. S.. Angell, Hon. H. D. Barrett, Hon. F. A. Bartlett, Hon. E. L. Beasley, D. O. Beatty, W. W. Bertrand, K. J. Blakley, B. C. Bradley, F. Bradley, W. H Bunnell, Dr. C. E. Burr, Dr. A. C....... Caemmerer, H. P. Christiansen, M. F. Cooley, Hon. H. D. Coote, R. K. Crawford, W. Critchfield, H. M. Daiker, F. H. Day, A. M. Dean, R. S Deason, Dr. H. J. Ellsworth, Hon. H. Engle, Hon. C. Fenton, Hon. I. D. Fernandez, Hon. A. M. Fickinger, P. L. Fieldner, A. C. Fitzgerald, G.. Flood, Hon. D. J. Flory, Dr. W. E. S. Forsling, C. L.. Fortier, E.. Foster, D. C. Frederickson, Hon. F. J. Gabrielson, Dr. I. N. Gardner, J. R.. Richardson Highway, reconstruction and improvement of Roads, construction, repair, and maintenance of Roads, tramways, etc., construction, repair, and maintenance of Bonneville Power Administration__ B 721 754 15, 772, 785 780 15 756, 777 771 769 750 721 723 724 752 732 733 295 Power production, demand and revenue in the future. Feeder-line extensions, advance surveys, equipment, etc.- 328 Grand Coulee-Snohomish area.. 339 Hungry Horse Dam___. 331 Ultimate number of miles of.. 329 Wages and unemployment compensation, supplemental estimate for 386 Great Lakes, Treaty with Canada respecting distribution of fish 711 Investigations respecting food fishes. Mammal and bird reservations, maintenance of Migratory bird conservation fund.. Migratory birds, protection of......- 654 696 703 693 629 691 699 704 Revested Oregon & California and Coos Bay grant lands. 177 198 197 203 204 205, 212 192 202 178 202 192 207 185 80 109 219 291 289 229 |