Page:Making Michigan Move.pdf/14

 out some 3,000 miles of main state highways extending to all corners of the state and connecting cities and larger towns. Double reward pay­ments were to be paid for newly improved roads in the system and extra compensation paid for roads on which state rewards had previously been paid.

The act inspired some energetic and rather astounding efforts. The Huron Shore Road Association scheduled Michigan's first Road Bee Day for June 9, 1913. It was a day of work and festivity by an estimated 5,000 men and 2,000 women, aided by 3,000 teams of horses and 750 automobiles. A historian of the day reported that 200 miles of road were improved during the bee. Gov. Woodbridge Ferris was so impressed that he issued proclamations officially setting aside statewide road bee days for the next several years.

Rogers, who had built a statewide reputation for integrity and effi­ciency, shaped the state highway department into a professional unit. He hired skilled engineers and de­manded detailed specifications for roads and bridges built by townships and counties. He encouraged the formation of more county road or­ganizations, knowing from experi­ence that growth of road systems depended upon the willingness of counties to do the work. By 1916, there were 61 of them.

Rogers also promoted profes­sionalism at every level of the industry. He successfully encouraged formation of regional organizations of highway engineers and road-building experts and initiated annual institutes