Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-05-18
OUR ROADS ARE TOO WIDE.
Government Heads Movement For
Narrower Highways.

Government Heads Movement For
Narrower Highways.
Automobilists all over the country,
says a Washington letter, are showing
the greatest possible interest In the ef-
forts that are being made by the gov
ernment to induce the various state au-
thorities to construct rlrrower and
better highways. Not only would this
be of advantage to the users Of auto
mobiles, but 1t would save the different
states many thousands Of dollars every
year. AS an example Of the tremend-
Gus highway mileage in some OF the
states, and what their width would
mean, the following figures are given:
Minnesota has $4,000 miles, Wisconsin
$4,000, Michigan $4,000. Iowa 10000.
Kansas 10000, Nebraska $4,000. Mis-
souri, $4,000, Illinois $4,000. Indiana TO-
900, Ohio $4,000, the total Of these
states alone being 100000.
Reducing the width Of these public
highways, which now average e6 feet,
to So feet, would give back to the far
mers Of those states, for cultivation, g.
100000 acres Of generally tillable land,
which, at an average valuation Of 800
per acre, would mean the restoration to
the producing values Of the states
named, of s250.000.000. This sum has
an annual interest value Of S12,500.000
an amount which might be recovered.
and IL applied to the proper scientific
construction Of roads In the United
States, would in a few years give us
the most extensive and finest road sys-
tenn to be had.
German Roads the Best.
Some Of the best country roads in
the world are found in Germany, and
for that reason the United States gov
ernment recently set to work to ascer-
tain just how they are made and kept
in good condition. A report just made
by Consul Thompson Of Hanover, Is
therefore, more than ordinarily inter-
esting In this report Mr.. Thompson
says:
German roads, are perhaps, subject
ed to a hundred times more traffic than
similar roads In the United States.
These roads range from 20 to 80 feet
In width while in our middle, or west
ern states, where the traffic is COM
paratively light, we take land Of an
average value Of 800 per acre. and cut
It UP with roadways 66 feet In width.
practically two-thirds Of the same be-
ing given over to weeds. which furnish
an inexhaustible supply Of seeds for
adjoining lands. The farmer in Ger
many, who has conquered the weeds
on his ground, need have no thought Of
their being started again from unculti-
waited or uncared for land along the
roadways. There are no weeds, no mud
or no chuck holes, no sand stretches In
the roads. Looking into the valleys
from one Of the thousands Of lookout
towers which have been placed on the
summit Of nearly every high elevation
Of land or mountain In Germany, the
road lies before ones view like bright
white ribbons running past squares Of
green or brown fields, along the verses
Of cultivated woods, and binding VII
lage to village-a solution Of the first
and most important problem of human
economy and evolution, that OF trans
portation.
1t Ia not an infrequent sight, when
travelling by rail through the more level
stretches Of country in Germany, Hol-
land or France. to see an automobile
flying over some main highway, run
ming parallel with the railroad. keeping
pace with the train for miles, It being
generally necessary to slacken speed
only when passing through the larger
villages and towns and never on ac-
count Of poor roads"
Our Roads too Wide.
The good roads question for the
United States, may seem almost hope
less, when considered with such pict-
ures before the eye, but one Of the SIM
plest and most practical measures that
could be taken for their betterment,
would be to reduce their width from
one third to one-half Of what they are
now Work could then be concentrated
on the roadway and drains, the waste
land returned to the farmers or abut-
ting property owners, and by these per-
fectly natural economies make both the
building and the maintenance Of the
roads a much simpler and less expen-
sive proposition.
No road can be called good II It Is
bordered with weeds or mud, and to
care for and keep up a road from go to
10 feet in width not to mention the loss
Of land, means, in the long run, nearly
double the expense Of 80 or 35-foot
road.