Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1911-08-16
WOULD COST l48 MILLIONS
BOND ISSUE FOR THIS HUGE SUM
NECESSARY IF THEY ARE
CONSTRUCTED.
OUTLAY $4,000 PER MILE
ROADS WOULD BE OF MAcADAM,
OF UNIFORM WIDTH AND
EASY GRADE.

Washington, Aug. 16.-Some of the
friends of good roads are not inclined
to look favorably upon the gigantic
system of good roads provided for in
the resolution proposed last week by
Senator Cullom. These good roads
advocates are afraid that the scheme
is so big it will have the appearance
OF raid on the treasury and give the
whole good roads proposition black
eye with congress.
Although Senator Cullom proposed
the bill, its real author is General j..
Floyd King, ex-member of the house
from Louisiana. General King, who
was the originator and chairman of
the committee which did the prelimin-
airy work for the Panama canal, would
have the government invest 14S mil
lion dollars in seven national high
ways, all radiating from Washington.
The first of these roads, it is pro-
posed, shall be called the Washington |
National Interstate Highway and shall I
run by way of Baltimore. Wilmington.
Del, Philadelphia and Trenton. NJ j.,
to New York city and thence to Hart
ford. Conn. Boston. Concord. N H.,
and Portland. Me.
The Roosevelt Highway would be |
constructed by way of Gettysburg and |
Harrisburg. Pa, to Buffalo and Nj
agara Falls.
The Lincoln Highway would pass
through Maryland, Ohio, touching the
state capital; Indiana and Illinois, in
cluding Chicago, thence through Mad
ison, Wis, and Minneapolis and st.
Paul, and then through South Da-
kota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho
and Washington to Seattle, its west
ern terminus.
The Jefferson Highway would cross
Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indi-
ana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colo
RADIO, Utah, Nevada and California to
San Francisco.
The Grant Highway would extend
to San Diego, CAL, through Virginia,
West Virginia, Kentucky Arkansas,
Oklahoma, Northern Texas, New
Mexico Arizona and California.
The Monroe Highway is planned to
reach New Orleans and Austin, Tex,
through Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama.
Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
The last of the roads would be
called the Lee and would reach Jack
sonville and Miami, Fla, through Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, South Caro-
lima, Georgia and Florida.
It is figured that these roads would
cost, on an average, $4,000 a mile.
This amount would be raised by sell
ing bonds as was done for the Pana-
ma canal. The work would be in the
hands of a commission of members of
congress, certain cabinet officers and
five civilians, as we'll as the chief of
engineers of the army.
The roads would all be constructed
of macadam, be of uniform width and
easy grade. The bill specifically pro
vides that there shall be no grade
crossings. The roads would have to
pass under or over railroad tracks.
General King declared today that
he believes that national system OF
highways such as are proposed soon
will become necessary to the welfare
of the nation. The inland waterways
and railroads, he said, are absolutely
inadequate to care for the growing
business of the nation.
"There can be no doubt that the
high cost of living is due largely to
the great expense of getting raw ma
terials to the factories and food from
the producer to the consumer" he
said. "If we had better roadways
produce could be taken to the cities
cheaper and quicker, and huge sums