The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1908-04-23
TAB ON RURAL ROADS
Mileage and Cost of Public High
ways In United States.
TEXAS FIRST, MISSOURI NEXT

Outside Of Settlements In 1904 United
States Had 2,151,57o MiIes-But IA
Per Cent Of All American Roads
Have Been improved.
While it is known In general way
that some parts Of the United States
have made greater progress than 9TH
ers in the improvement Of the public
roads and that enormous sums are ex-
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 a washington dispatch to
the st. Louis Republic.
The Office Of the public roads in the
agricultural department recently COM
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
ne Of the labor expended under the
statute labor laws.
In 1904 there were 2,151 $40 miles OF
public roads in the United States. OF
this mileage 1Os,232.9 miles were sur
faced and gravel. 3S,621.7 miles were
stone, and 6.sO9.I miles were special
materials, such as shells, sand-clay, oil
and brick, making in all 153.6643 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,l51, $40 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 farps,
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 thtckly
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, ,133; Iowa third, with
102,44s, and Kansas fourth, with 10l,-
1875. The District Of Columbia has only
1e1 miles of road. Rhode Island has
1861 miles, which is the smallest mile
age of any state. Delaware has only
5000 and Arizona only 5,9T 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 224 miles and Penn
sylvania 2.21 miles per square mile OF
area. Arizona has only fve-hundredtns
Of q mile, the smallest mileage per
square mile. Utah has eight-hundredths
and Wyoming ten-hundredths OF NILE
per square mile.
Assuming the average width OF the
rights Of way Of country roads In tne
United States to be forty feet, the area
Of such rights of way In 1904 amount,
ed to 10,431, TT acres. Estimating tne
value Of this land on basis OF the
valuation Of farm lands In each state,
the approximate value Of the rights OF
way of all the public roads would Do
ss41. .s99, ,30e. A much higher valuation
would be amply justified by the fact
that in sections where the mileage OF
roads is greatest the land Is consider
ably above the average In value
OF the 153,e62 miles OF improved
roads in the United States Indiana mas
the largest mileage-23,sT miles. Ohio
has 23.5e0, Wisconsin 10,6SS, Kentucky
8 4ee. while twenty-nine states IN an
have over 1000 miles OF improved
roads. In about two-thtrds Of the states
Gravel ts the most used agency IN I'M
nroyement, while in eight states the
mileage of macadam exceeds that OF
gravel roads.
OF those states employing special
h,,da of improvements to roads Calt'