The record., 1912-10-03
WHAT GOOD ROADS % COST
E-S York TO EKpend Over s5,ooo,ooo
This Year in Repair
Work.

Ijow few automobilists and tourists
realize as they slide over the good or
lal roads of New York stG;a what
tie upkcep of these highways and by
vays is costing their town. county and
p! to. and Indirectly them. Ii they
would stop to think OF this there would
h. much less profanity when oue
Cr3nces upon mud puddle difficult tn
CcGCc.
Ia the first place, the average. or.
rather. the majority OF tourists have
10 idea of the number of miles Of
roads in New York state which must
BE- annually repaired, oftr'Jtimes semi
Annually. Frank ID. Lyon, the deputy
commissioner of the state highway
GsTartment. has furnished statistics
md information on this subject which
are not only startling and surprising.
hut vastly interesting to motorists.
There are ia the ETpire state So
Oao miles Of roads. = greater mileage
Of which is improved highway than
ell The other eastern states put to-
gcihcr. not including Massachusetts.
There are uow 2.0a0 miles of state
roads and more under construction.
There are macadam roads totalinS IL
mileage 2.400. constructed by towns.
There are more than 10000 miles of
earth roads, properly shaped and
crowned, stones picked and removed,
depressions filed. culverts and bridges
repaired. Towns have constructed
5000 miles of gravel roads. in first
class condition.
To keep these roads navigable. so to
speak, shape means work. systematic,
untiring labor on the part of a great
corps Of people. The state is divided
into nine districts, with Mr.. Lyon in
actual charge Of these. Each district
has a superintendent, an assistant 10
Mr.. Lyon. Then the state is again
subdiVided into forty-four counties un-
der the supervision OF flfty-four super
intendents, who in turn are answerable
to the nine assistants of Mr.. Lyon.
Then ii is further subdividcd into 9Si
towns, under 93i town superintend-
ents. BY this system Commissioner
Lyon can reach within twenty-four
hours after notification any road in
the state In need of repair.
Work of construction and repair is
now at its height, and Mr.. Lyons re-
port OF recent date showed that on Cne
particular day there were 10000 men
and teams on the roads of the state.
Co-oneration on the part of automo-
Nl'it Is With 'Ho '3i- le.a tiles is
ment. Mr.. Lyon asAs ,Aat tourists
running across anything wrong with
the roads Immediately report the same
TO him. In this way tourists-those
who are actually using the roads
will not only aid the state but them
selves, in keeping the highways in the
best of condition.
"The upkeep of motor cars" says
Mr.. Lyon. will this year be reduced
30 per cent. in my mind, on account
of repairs TO highways being made"
Towns are this year raising by
taxes for highway improvement the
sum of s2,504, ,675.23. The state is
turning over 70 the towns to aid them
in this work 81 ,592,O70. Bridge work
during the year 1911 is to cost $685.
4I4.e3. The amount 10 be paid out for
new machinery is slS0,0l1.25. Special
road improvements in towns OF the
state are TO cost S279, 1862, making in
all s5,iS5,ST1.3S TO be expended by
towns this year.
The state il to bond itself for s19.-
100000 for the construction of state
roads. Towns and counties are TO be
called upon 10 provide as their share
s5.00o.o0o. The state legislature has
appropriated s1,S0o.O00 for tho main-
tenance Of state roads already con-
structei.
The sum ct S21,9S5,S7733 is 10 be
expended in ore year for road con-
struction and improvement throughout
the great Empire stste-that is, this
amount is available for the work. and
in all probability will be utilized by
the state department of highways.