Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1913-08-08
QUESTION OF BETTER ROADS
Not Alone Affects Farmer and Auto
nobiist, but Is of Vital lmpor-
lance to Everybody.

The good roads question is one
which today Is occupying the atteu-
ton Of every thinking man In the
United States. This question does
not affect alone the farmer or auto
mobilist but is one which Is of vital
Importance to all of us, owing to the
fact that every extension Of the good
roads movement and the completion
Of every new artery has resulted not
only in a greater production Of food
stuffs in that particular section, but
has cheapened them on account of the
small cost of getting them into the
market.
Although at the present time there
are between $1,000 and 10000 miles or
improved roads in the United States,
either under construction or proposed
no section of road is receiving the
careful investigation or Is being
watched as closely by the read max
ers Of the country and by good roads
advocates, as is the 106-mlle road
which Gen. T. Coleman du Point is
constructing at his own expense
through the state of Delaware.
General du Pont felt that any
amount Of money he might give for
road would be of far greater benefit
and would have a far greater infiu-
ence on the happiness and material
prosperity of the people Of his state
than any other project he might scr
lect. To quote his own words: my
object in building the road is not only
TO provide good highway where it
is badly needed, but also to work out
in a practical way q problem that will.
If successful, revolutioniZe the build
ing of roads in the United States. The
problem Is, How can free country
road be built to make 1t pay its origi
nal cost, cost Of maintenance and
fair return on the money invested
The solution Of this problem as
worked out by General du Pont, as a
result of his experience on the Della
ware road, Is a system Of graduated
assessments, so arranged that all who
receive direct benefits from the road
are to bear their share of it's expense,
at the outset, and will later be recon-
pensed by rentals of the unused por-
tons of the road itself.
Suppose, fer instance, that this
Delaware road was being constructed
by this method, instead of being gtv-
en- by General du Pont- On the du
Pont road some twenty-six acres OF
land have been condemned for every
mile Of road. Revenue from the road
will be partially derived from trolley
franchises, from water, telephone, tel
egraph and sewer right of way rentals
and partially from the rental of that
part of the twenty-six acres per mile
which Is not used for actual road con-
struction.
AS laid out, the du Pont road con-
sists of some seven parts, although
not all of them will be developed i'm
mediately. the idea being to increase
the size of the road as the traffic be-
comes heavier. When completed the
IOdu VIII CoASAoI vi q Ao1 ~ iooI SIAip
in the middle, which will be given
over to automobiles, and on either
side of this forty-foot strip a fifteen
foot strip, which has been reserved
for trolley lines. Beyond the trolley
lines there will be thirty-foot roads
for horse-drawn vehicles and heavy
traffic. Adjoining each Of these last
named roads will be dirt roads. fifteen
feet wide, under which will be laid
water pipes, sewers, telephone and
telegraph conduits, etc., thus eliminat-
ing any necessity for tearing up the
paved portion Of the road.