Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-09
The CAR AND The HIGHWAY
MsTessing Use Of Autos a Boost for
Good Roads.
WHAT THE EAST IS DOING
SIilIion. speaf In ImprovinE HiEh-
ways and SIiIIions Appropri-
nted 60 Continue the
Good work.


that will bring cities and towns closer to-
gether Recently the state OF New York 4
authorized a bond issue OF S50.O000oO for /
the improvement Of its highways. The |
counties and townships will spend as much /
more. In the New England states nearly /
s. 10000 has been appropriated lately for
interconnecting state highways A single 4
county in AIichigan-that state is the cen
ter OF the automobile industry-has appro-
priated 100000 for good roads.
II is becoming more and more evident |
that the development OF vast and ade-
quate system OF highways to meet the re-
quiremsnts OF the phenomenal increase in /
automobile traffic bears no relation to
state boundaries and that the time is not /
far distant when the federal government /
WIN step in and aid in their construction. |
There is a bill before congress for an |
ocean-to-ocean highway. which shall have !
a right-of-way a mile wide. The highway |
proper is to be LAD feet wide. Along this |
will De roads with a macadam surface, |
Bteel tracks for electric cars, steel plate |
tracks for fast automobiles. and cement
ways for motor cars going less than TWEEN
ty-five miles an hour. II II planned to
have this highway follow the thirty-fifth
parallel Of latitude and 10 have a COM
mission appointed comprising two repre-
sentatives from each OF the states II
traverses The commission is to send out
road-making parties 10 locate a preliminary
route. Another plan which is being strongly
advocated contemplates the construction
not only Of an east and west automobile
highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
but also one from the lakes 10 the gulf.
The feeders for these two great trunk lines
are TO be carefully laid out in each state
so that they will form vast and compre-
Aensive system.
Still another movement for a network
Of national highways is that which was
started in Washington, d. C., not long
ago. II Is called the American Associa-
lion for Highway Improvement. and 1t. Is
said TO have the Endorsement and the
backing OF the greatest railroads and In
dustrial corporations in the United States.
It's purpose is to secure, by means OF the
best roads that can be built, quick and
easy transportation between communities
and cities and the agricultural districts.
The enormous business and transportation
interests which are back OF this plan be-
Heve that good roads are the basis of
prosperity ana that nothing else will in
crease the wei lth OF the people 50 quickly;
also that they will be the greatest agency
In distributing and equalizing the popula-
ton by wiping cut the sharp lines between
city and country. by re-peopling abandoned
farms and by bringing into cultivation
millions of acres which. through their
inaccessihility, have not yet been touched
by pillow harrow.
Before the day OF the automobile the
town and country people were almost
strangers. They did not realize then that
they could have any deep mutual interest
In the matter Of good roads. The automo-
bile has made them acquainted It has
broken down the barriers of distance. and
they have become neighbors and friends.
While the farmers and the AUTOMOBILE
lists interests in better highways do not
lie along exactly the same lines. they har-
monze closely. The farmers want small
local roads over which they can reach the
nearest markets; the motorists long trunk.
roads over which they can tour. with the
spreading Of automobile transportation
the farmers today are among the biggest
>Nbuyers OF motor cars-every one is real
Nlpg that the local roads and the great
highways are essential parts OF the same
proposition. Thus the kind OF roads that
each OF these two great classes OF the
community most desires tit in together.
Corporation and Rivalry.
Everywhere today city and country are
/ Cooperating and working in friendly
NYivalry for better roads Automobile assoc
cations are contributing considerable sums
of money for the improvement of rural
highways. These organizations and the
motor companies are interchangeable in
first inspecting and then bringing about
Improvement in roads between points dis
tant from each other. One Detroit concern
sent out car last April for a three-month
tour for this purpose. 1t traversed fifteen
states. and the report which was made
covered nearly 10OoO miles OF highways OF
y all sorts. II found the condition OF the
roads in the east better than that OF those
in the west but that the western roads
were being improved very rapidly
More road building was done throughout
the United States in 1910 than In any previ-
Gus year. and the progress for 1911 viii be
even greater. State after state has created
department OF highways within the last
two years. and has made large appropriA-
tons for bodybuilding. In most cases
plans have been prepared which cover COM
prehensive systems OF highways that Il
NraDsk-take some time to complete. Another
important feature OF this great movement
Is that the rickety wooden bridges span
ming small streams are being replaced by
permanent structures Of concrete.
The primitive dirt road. that was but
step In advance OF the Indian trail. Is pass
ing away. Statistics that have been com
piled from the work done last year in
eleven states give startling evidence OF the
progress that has been made in the work
OF building highways that are almost as
well constructed the railroads them
selves. In New York. New Jersey. Mary
land Pennsylvania. Ohio and the six New
England states nearly 2Ooo miles OF new
roads were built by state aid in 1910 The
percentage OF the various types built was
as follows; Water-bound macadAm. "a;
bitumen- bound broken stone s6.s: gravel
$50: earth. So; brick 2S; other kinds. in
GLIDING concrete, sand-clay. shell etc, 6
Grouping together the first three kinds OF
roads-modern highways OF the most dur
able eharaeter-it win be seen that S64 per
cent OF all the roads built in these eleven
states were OF this type.
one OF the most remarkable features that
the automobile has brought about In the
last two years in construction and main
tenance OF roads has been the developments
OF the use Of bituminOps materials. BY the
employment OF asphaltic products or oils
\ roads have been made practically dustless
AaE mudless. Further than that their