194 The Story of The Bronx 



Boston Avenue, which it followed to "West Farms, crossing 

 the Bronx River at the "Bleach" below Bronxdale, and con- 

 tinuing through Eastchester and Pelham till it joined at New 

 Rochelle the ancient Boston Road, which came from Kings- 

 bridge via Williamsbridge. 



Difficulties arose with the property owners whose land was 

 taken for the road, as they were not promptly paid; notwith- 

 standing which, the Legislature of 1797 declared the road a 

 public highway and directed Coles to finish it at his own 

 expense, at the same time authorizing him, for a period of 

 thirty years, to increase the bridge tolls, not to exceed fifty 

 per cent, of those already prescribed by previous statutes. 

 This was to reimburse him for his additional outlay in com- 

 pleting the road ; but he was to keep it in repair during that 

 time. In the following year, 1798, he was relieved of this 

 last condition and his increase of bridge tolls cut down to a 

 twenty-five per cent, advance. This was due to the fact that 

 the State had partially paid for the construction of the road 

 under the act of 1797, which empowered the State to aid in the 

 improvement of public roads; the money was obtained by a 

 public lottery. It was just about a century later that the 

 wheelmen, the good roads associations, and drivers generally 

 succeeded in getting the State once more to give aid to the 

 counties and towns in constructing and grading the public 

 highways; a law whose benefit is seen in the fine highways 

 that are gradually but steadily appearing in all sections of 

 the State under the guidance of competent engineers and road- 

 builders, instead of that of the rural road-master. This im- 

 provement in road-building has affected the Coles road; for 

 in the fall of 191 1 work was begun to widen the more than 

 century-old road and make it a State road. Work is progres- 

 sing from Pelham Parkway northward as this is written. 



