Report of the Commissioner of Public Works,
Robert A. Hurley to Governor Wilbur L. Cross
On
January
6, 1938, the Commissioner of the
Department of Public Works,
Robert A. Hurley, submitted a
report to Governor
Wilbur L. Cross that detailed
his findings on the investigation into the
State Highway
Department. The 135 page document severely criticized both the
agency as a whole and its
Commissioner,
John A. MacDonald, in particular.
Governor
Cross himself called the report "caustic" and wrote in his
autobiography that "No good word was said about anybody or
anything. Even the beautiful Merritt Parkway was ill designed,
ill constructed, and destined to become a dangerous road for
travelers to ride over."
To illustrate his findings, Hurley's report
included photographs of areas of the Merritt
Parkway he deemed unsafe and badly constructed.
Picture Credit:
Hurley Report, Exhibit 005
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