The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-05
MUCH WAS DONE
BY STATE HIGHWAY
COMMISSIONER 1912
Every Dollar Expended
Brought Equal Service
in Return
IS MILES OF GOOD
ROADS WE'RE BUILT
fifty-Nine Out of 81 Counties Applied
for Aid-Engineer Keller Plans
System for Trunk Roads.
Pass Through Birmingham

Mont gomery, January 4.-(Special)-
No department of the states govern
ment accomplished more last year in
real educational and economic value to
the state at large than the highway
commission 1t is certain that no work
accomplished was of more vital in
terest to the people OF Alabama. In
the opinion OF the members of the
highway commission for every dollar
expended one hundred cents IN actual
service was received. while the educa
tional value resulting from such work
was much greater than the actual
money value.
The state highway department round
ed out a good year. Handicapped at
first as a result of proper lack of
interest on the part of the people
throughout the state, the commission
finally forced recognition through the
real value of it's constructive work.
with the result that. toward the end
of the year public enthusiasm was
aroused and applications for state aid
began to food the office of the COM
mission.
Miles of Good Roads
During last year the state highway
department completed the construction
of something like rs miles of good
roads. The department began opera
ton In the summer of 1911, but prac-
tically all of the remainder of the first
year was consumed in preparing for
work, although several roads were be-
gun during the summer and fall of
1911. 1t was in 1912. however, that
The best approximate estimate of the
extent of state aid roads actually con-
structed in 1912 is TAX miles.
Includes Many Counties
The counties in which state aid roads
were completed last year were: Bull
lock, Bibb. Blount, Calhoun Colbert,
Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Eto-
wah, Jackson, Lauderdale, Limestone,
Lamar Macon, Madison, Marion. Tal1a-
poosa and walker. Most of these roads
were constructed at a cost of $4,000, to
which only the first years appropria-
ton was applied. In Tallapoosa county
10 miles of road were constructed at
a cost of $4,000. of which the state
paid $4,000 and the people $4,000.
Public roads are now being construct
ed in 26 counties of the state, and
will be 11Ss4 miles. All of these roads
were begun in the fall of 1912, and
they vary in length from 2 to IA miles.
The IA mile road is under construc-
ton in Butler county, and will cost
when completed $4,000, of which $4,000
will be paid by the state and $4,000
by the county and people.
Altogether, SO out of the 67 counties
have used their state appropriation In
the construction of steel concrete
bridges. which have varied in length
from 20 feet to 500 feet.
The total cost of all roads completed
In the state, together with the cost of
all roads and bridges that are under
construction, will amount to 1881 900,
about one-half of which will have been
paid by the state.
Keller's Plan of Roads
When the next legislature meets,
whether in special or regular session,
State Highway Engineer w. S. Keller
will present to the state solonS a map
of such of the main highways of the
state as he may deem of sufficient i'm
portance to be designated as a system
of trunk roads, to be maintained by the
state and counties through which they
run.
Mr. Keller has made rough sketch
of such a system of roads. extending
more than 1000 miles in length and
to south and from east to west, with
few variations The principal state
highway will extend from Huntsville
to Mobile. This road will pass through
Decatur and extend In a southerly di-
rection down through Cullman to Br-
mingham. From Birmingham it will
parallel the Louisville and Nashville
railroad as far as Montgomery, pass
ing through Clanton and other cities
along that line. AT Montgomery the
road viii lead to Prattville, and thence
to Selma, from which city it will par
alel the Southern railroad to Mobile.
Another system of trunk roads would
lead from Montgomery in southeasterly
direction down through Troy, Ozark and
Dothan: while a road leading east out
of Montgomery would pass through Tus-
kegee, and from that city in northerly
direction to Opelka, passing through Au-
burn The Montgomery-Selma road