The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1907-11-28
Mileage and Cost of Public High
ways In United States.
TEXAS FIRST, MISSOURI NEXT

pended annually on road construction
and repairs. there has been no infor-
nation compiled up to the present time
showing just what has been accom-
plished and how much is expended an
nually for this purpose in the United
States. says Washington dispatch to
the st. Louis Republic.
The Office Of the public roads in the
agricultural department recently CON-
pleted the collection, compilation and
publication Of information from every
county of the United States in regard
to the mileage Of improved and unim-
proved country roads in the year 1904.
and the expenditures on roads and
bridges from property and poll taxes.
bond issues and state funds under the
state aid laws, and the amount of val
ue of the labor expended under the
statute labor laws.
In 1904 there were 2, ISL $50 miles of
this mileage 1OS,232.9 miles were sur
faced and gravel, 3S621.7 miles were
stone, and 6.SO97 miles were special
materials, such as shells, sand-clay, oil
and brick, making in all 153, ,664.3 miles
of improved road. From this it follows
that ia per cent of all the roads in the
United States have been improved.
By comparing the total road mileage
with the area of all the states and ter
ritories it appears that there was .73
of a mile of road per square mile Of
territory. A comparison of road mile
age with population shows that there
was one mile of road to every thirty
five Inhabitants and one mile of i'm
proved road to every 492 inhabitants.
The 2.151. $50 miles of public roads in
the United States do not include roads
in Indian Territory. Alaska and the is
| land possessions. The mileage of roads
| does not include streets or boulevards
in incorporated cities and villages.
| The majority of all the roads In the
| United States were originally laid out
along the boundary lines of farms.
with little regard for drainage. topog-
raphy and alignment. In the eastern
states the boundary lines of farms are
very irregular, and consequently many
/ of the roads are crooked and badly To-
| Gated with reference to grades. In
| the middle west, where the land was
laid out by the government, the roads
/ follow the section lines and in thickly
| settled communities the quarter Sec
| tion lines. In compiling these figures
the aim has been to include only the
/ mileage of roads actually open and
| in use.
Only four states have more than
100000 miles Of roads Texas stands
first, with 121, 400 miles; Missouri sec
ond, with 10S, 1873; Iowa third, with
102,44S. and Kansas fourth, with 101,.
19G The District of Columbia has only
! 191 miles Of road Rhode Island has
1851 miles, which is the smallest mile
age Of any state. Delaware has only
1900 and Arizona only 5.9S7 miles
By comparing the road mileage with
the areas in square miles the District
Of Columbia is found to stand first
with 3.1S miles Of road per square mile
of area, while Connecticut is highest
among the states, with 2.90 miles
Rhode Island has 2.24 miles and Penn
sylvania 221 miles per square mile OF
area Arizona has only five-hundredths
Of mile, the smallest mileage pei
square mile Utah has eight-hundredths
and Wyoming ten-hundredths of a mile
per square mile.
Assuming the average width of the
rights of way of country roads In the
United States to be forty feet, the ares
of such rights of way in 1904 amount
ed to 1O.431,7 ,727 acres. Estimating The
value of this land on basis of the
valuation Of farm lands in each state
the approximate value of the rights o1
way Of all the public roads would bt
$341 ,S99, BOG A much higher valuation
would be amply justified by the fac
that in sections where the mileage o.
roads is greatest the land is consider
ably above the average in value.
| OF the 153,6G2 miles of improved
roads In the United States Indiana ha
the largest mileage-23,877 miles. Obi
has 23,56O, Wisconsin 10,633, Kentuck,
9,4S6, while twenty-nine states In al
have over 1000 miles of improves
roads. In about two thirds of the state
gravel is the most used agency In i'm
provement, while in eight states tn
mileage of macadam exceeds that Q
gravel roads.
OF those states employing specia
kinds OF Improvements to roads Cal
fornia has 2,541 miles surfaced wit
oil, South Carolina has 1880 miles c
sand clay mixture road. Maryland ha
$50 miles of shell road and Ohio ha
brick country roads 1.400 miles long.
The total expenditures for publ
roads during 1904 from property an
poll taxes, bond issues, state aid fund
and the valuation Of the labor expent
ed under the statute labor laws (
some of the states aggregated s19,771
41787. OF this amount S53.815.387.9 {
was expended from property and pc
taxes. payable IN cash; $19.81S.23G.:
was the value Of the labor take
G3.53O.4T093 came from bond issu,
J and S2.607 800. .66 was from state a
funds The aggregate shows TIL
S37.N was expended in 1904 for eat