St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-11-15
EFFECT OF coon ROADS.
Telling Price of Tillable Farm Land
Increases More Than Total Cost
OF improvements.

OF improvements.
To determine as far as possible the
exact dollars and cents effect on a
county of the improvement of bad
roads, specialists of the office of pub
lie roads and rural engineering of
the department made economic sur
veys in eight counties In each of the
years from 1910 to 1915, inclusive.
This study of the increase in the
values of farm lands in the eight
counties reveals the rather interest
ing fact that following the improve
ment of the main market roads the
increase in the selling price of tillable
farm lands served by the roads has
amounted to from one to three times
the total cost of the improvements.
The increase in values in those in
stances which were recorded ranged
from 60 per cent to 80 per cent i'll
SpotSylvania county, Va; from IS to
194 in Dinwiddie county, Va; 20 to
80 in Lee county, Va; 20 to 100 in
Wise county, Va; to ia in Frank
lin county, N. Y; SO to 100 in Dallas
county, Ala; rs to SO in Lauderdal.
county, Miss; and from so to 100 in
Manatee county, Fla. The estimates
of increase were based for the most
part upon the territory within dis
lance of one mile on each side of
the roads improved.
In Spotsylvania county a careful
record was made in 1910 of 35 farms
located on the road selected for inn
provement. Of the seven farms sold
in 1912 the prices actually paid show
increases of from 81 to 116 per cent
over the 1910 valuation. The aver
age value after the roads were i'm
proved was $2S.26 per acre, as COM
parent with $17.31 previous to the
improvement. In 1913 four trans
fers of farm land were on the basis
of $3O.11 per acre, whereas the prop.
critics were listed in 1910 at only
$13.89 per acre. 1t appears that the
1,451 acres sold in 1914 increased in
value $28,500, or so per cent, or from
$24.46 to $44.10 per acre.
In Dinwiddie county, Va, the actual
price of 4S farms sold or offered for
sale from 1909 to 1914 ranged in
price from $S.3S to $43.74 per acre
before the roads were built, and from
$24.70 to $3.50 per acre after the
roads were improved.
In Lee county, Va, study of eight
tracts along the roads before and af-
ter improvement indicated that these
properties increased about $23 per
acre, or about 70 per cent
In Wise county, Va, a study of
eight representative farms located on
roads showed that they increased in
value from an average of $49.06 per
acre before improvement to $79.44
after the roads were improved. There
were increases in valuation in other
sections of from $50 to $50 or even
500 per acre.
In Franklin county, N. Y, the fig
ures seem to indicate that the change
from earth, sandy, and loan roads
to bituminous macadam was followed
by increases averaging $3.50 per
acre, or about 30.T per cent.
In Dallas county, Ala, careful in
vestigation seemed to indicate that
road Improvement has added at least
SIS to each acre of land within a half
mile of improved roads. Tracts sold
at from So to $40. per acre were sold
again after road improvement at
from $40 to $25 per acre.
In Lauderdale county, Miss, the to-
tai assessed valuation of real property
outside of the city was $2,757,546.
This increased in 1914 after road i'm
provement to $3,183,809, or 1874 per
cent. Local real-estate men place the
increase in land values on account of
improved roads at from rs to SO per
cent.
In Manatee county, Fla, careful
study of sales and real-estate records
indicated that the Improvement of
roads has added from Is to 100 per
cent, or at least SIS per acre, to the
selling price of all lands within one
half mile of improved roads. This
would give a total of $611 900, or more
than twice the value oil re bonds is
sued.