b'P ROVING THE P RINCIPLEhandling of funds and arouse some The dickering continued through 1950 Blackfoot and then dogleg west on thecommunity criticisms. The highway and into 1951 and beyond, engulfing Blackfoot road to get to the Site. The department had obligations in other the three counties through which the road opened finally on October 8,parts of the state, and cant go higher roads would pass (Bonneville, 1 9 5 1.25 than $300,000. The state intended to Bingham, and Butte), Idahos congres-relocate most of the Blackfoot road and sional delegation, the federal Bureau of The AEC ended up spending $1,141,000thought the actual cost of all the work Public Roads, and a host of chamber of for the road from Idaho Falls, while thewould exceed early estimates. Still, the commerce committee members, the State of Idahos share was $337,000 andgovernor asserted that the state would Idaho highway commissioners, contrac- a promise to improve the Blackfoot road.do its best to meet reasonable tors, and others. Resentment flared in The federal Bureau of Public Roads con-demands. 23Blackfoot as the IDO seemed to favor tributed $563,000, an amount widelythe Idaho Falls road at the expense of perceived as a higher-than-usual per-the Blackfoot road, on which ninety centage in relationship to Idahos por-percent of the freight to the site was tion. In 1952 the state managed to gradehauled. They wined and dined those about twenty miles of the new Blackfoot[AEC/IDO] people, accused road but announced that if Idaho fundsBlackfoot, hinting of legal lapses. 24 were the only ones brought to bear onthe problem, the state would have toStruggles over right-of-way and who piece the repairs over the next threewould pay what and when strained the years, and even then not necessarily getpolitical skills of the Idaho Falls civic the job done by 1955. Meanwhile, theleaders to the utmost. When the winter road continued to deteriorate dramatical-of 1950-51 arrived, the new road was ly under heavy Site traffi c 26 .not ready, and the Blackfoot road hadnot been improved. Site employees from Prodded by an indignant Blackfoot,Idaho Falls had to travel south to which wondered all over again why theINEEL 0695 AEC had chosen Idaho Falls as itshome city, Johnston promised to per-suade AEC headquarters to support aspecial federal appropriation through theBureau of Public Roads. This he did,with the Idaho congressional delegationbacking the proposal to the hilt. 27 Above. Excavation for MTR in October 1950 showsconcrete work in progress and location of futurefuel-storage canal. Left. The CFA in 1999 was thehome of Site support services such asenvironmental monitoring and calibrationlaboratories, communication systems, security, fireprotection, medical services, warehouses, cafeteriaand laundry services, vehicle and equipment pools,and bus operations.INEEL 99-344-10-144 2'