Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-12-29
100 MILES OF
STATE ROADS
HIGHWAY COMM ssIoNER ROO
Frs TELLS OF REWARD AND
COUNTY SYSTEMS.
COST OF ROADS TO MICHIGAN
NEARLY TWO MIlLIoNS-MA-
TERlAL GETTING SCARCE.
Extracts from Paper Read by High
way Commissioners Rogers at
Convention at indianapolis.

Progress of Road Building In
Michigan" was the title Of Deputy
Highway Commissioner Rogers pa
per, the feature of the closing session
of the convention of American road
builders at Indianapolis.
Following are the important fea-
lures OF the address:
michigan has 5s,O15 square miles Of
territory divided into SO counties,
which in turn are divided into ,226
organized townships, the latter peIhs
the units Of rural government me
10000 miles Of public wagon roads
which serve our state are all under
township control. except certain ROADS
in counties which voluntarily ADOPT
the county road system and come un-
der the direct supervision or town
ship highway commissioner
Tn the counties which have adopted
the county road system, "a in all, such
roads as the county road commits Slon-
ers see fit to adopt are constituted
as county roads and maintained and
improved with county FUNDS, but al
other roads in such counties remain
township roads and arc maintained
and improved with township funds.
Any county can make application for
and receive state reward when the
road in question has been improved In
conformity with the states specifica-
lions and accepted by the highway de-
partment. The coming Legislature VIII
be asked TO provide another class al
lowing rewards for concrete roads
built under the states specifications.
200 Miles Are Built.
THE Michigan state aid law became
operative July l, 1905, and the fol-
built In each Of the last five years,
show that II is increasing i'm popular
ity;, In 1905, 20 miles in road were were
100 I'm 1909 PA. in 1910 276. or a total
OF 100 miles I'm the six years. on July
l, 1910, the close Of the NTH fiscal
year, there had been completed $50
miles OF state reward road at a cost
og $1732 995.32 on which $292299 OF
state reward was paid This shows the
average cost OF roads Of all ella sses
for the first five years was $3.50 a
mile, while the average state reward
per mile was $719, or approximately
22.G per cent Of the total cost Of the
roads built. Roads have been built in
81 of the SO counties and in 361 town
ships.
"'The legislature has appropriated all
told 100000 for the use OF the state
highway department during it's first sis
years ending July !, 1911. $4,000 or
this is TO pay state rewards, and SEQ
900. only 10 per cent Of the money paid
for bonus. was set apart for depart.
ment expenses Michigan is not as
4
terials - many other states. Gravel
Is not as well distributed. and the
only available road building rocks in
the lower peninsula are quarry lime
stone and field cobbles.
"Of the 545.5 miles OF road complet-
ed on July l. 544 per cent were gravel
- macadam, with the remaining 2 1 q
per cent divided among the various
state reward combination roads About
eight miles OF two layer concrete
roads built in Wayne county in
which the coarse aggregate Is crush :
ed stone. are included in the macadam
mileage. Except near cities the motor
ears have not seriously injured
Michigan roads Thus far with one
or two exceptions. Wayne. Saginaw
and Bay counties are the only ones
that have attempted anything TO re-
sist motor car wear. In BAY county
nothing has been done except TO coat
their water-bound limestone macadam
roads with oil once a year. usually in
July. Saginaw Is trying concrete for
the first time"