Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-03
WOULD REORGAN|ZE
STATE ROAD WORK
System Is Wasteful and Ineffi-
cient, Says Senator Harry
Flood Byrd.
NEW LEGISLATION NEEDED
No Sufficient Provision Made for
Maintenance-Local Mate
rial Not Utilized.
NEW LEGISLATION NEEDED

Reorganization Of the State Highway
Department and complete recastinr OF
the State laws on the subject of road
and maintenance will he
proposed at the coming session OF the
Assembly by Harry Flood Byrd,
State Senator from the district COM
posed of Frederick and Shenandoah
Counties and the city of Winchester.
Senator Byrd Is n son Of Richard Eve
lyn BYRD, United States District At
torney for the Western District Of Eir-
ginia and former Speaker of the
House Of Delegates.
Senator BYRD has made record In
road reconstruction and maintenance rs
president Of the Valley Turnpike Com
pany. which puts him in position to
discuss road building as an authority.
REGARDS PRESENT SYSTEM
AS wASTEFUI. AND ENTRATAGANT
Senator Byrd makes 1t plain that
he IS not making an attack on state
Highway Commissioner George +. Cole
man, with whom he lis on most friend
" terms. but is attacking SYSTEM OF
impracticable laws which he says have
cost the State and the various coun-
ties immense sums and have left little
to show for the investment Especial
ly Mr. Byrd objects to the present
lack Of any provision for the mainte-
nance Of expensivcly constructed roads
to excessive administrative cost through
the present practice o. employing both
county and State engineers on each
particular job. the lack Of fcxibility in
the law which prevents localities from
adopting the kind OF road best suited tc
their needs. mid the failure to take ad-
vantage of native materials to the best
advantage
Senator Byrd points % the fact that
n number of counties. because OF the
arbitrary conditions of the present road
laws find 1t moro economical to build
their own highways In their own way
sacrificing the State aid fund rather
than submit to the conditions and higl,
overhead charges which the state aid
law requires:
ROADS NEEDED TO
DISTRIBUTE FARM PRODUCTS
Senator Byrd's statement follows.
Virginia is an agricultural State. and
Its prosperity depends upon compre-
hcnsivc system OF improved highways
not only for the economical production
and distribution of farm products, but
for the promotion of the broader social
life of communities and the enJoymen,
of the humanitieS offered by our highly
developed civilization.
My seven years experience as prcsi-
ednt OF the Valley Turnpike Company
has led me to give our existing State
road law very careful and painstakine
investigation.
AS the laws have now been in opcra
ton for nine years. we can tnirly take
stock of results My observation leads
me to believe that:
Tho present laws cannot be admin.
istered with aconomy. it's basic prin-
cirlcs are not such MS to enable ster
by step the comprehensive improvemen,
of all main tarveled highways, and IN
the Valley of Virginia. at least. tho
law is condemned by popular sentiment
The law is based not upon common,
and has utterly failed TO produce re-
sums expended.
BELIEVES LAW Is BASED
on FALSE THEORY
The law is based upon the false the
ory that the construction OF costly
type OF road Is permanent and makes
no provision for maintenance That is
the theory. but the fact is that these
costly so-cnlled permanent roads have
rapidly desintegrated.
Roads costing $4,000 and $4,000 \
mile may be justifable II permanent
but to expend this sum on roads. which
experience has proved to be short
lived and rob all other roads of anv
Improvement is folly.
If State MD macadan roads were
generally built as required by the
Highway Commission both the counties
and the state would bankrupt them
selves. The question. therefore. IL what
is best to he done with the resources
Mt our disposal.
Automobile boulcvards are desirable
hut the construction of roads used in
the transportation Of farm products 8
should be the first consideration.
In agricultural communities. rho
value Of good roads lie in their con-
tinuity: not In the construction OF n
mile or so Of good roads connected
with unimproved roads hut in tho i'm
provemcnt of all main travelled roads N
general average, varying with tref.
nc conditions.
LOAD is DETERMINED nv
WORST PIECE OF ROAn
The average haul of farmers produce
is ten miles. and for farmer to roach
n fancy road. after travelling over eight
or nine miles OF mud road, Is of little
actual benefit. as his load is determined
by the worst mud hole and stcepest
grade on his route.
AS the counties must pay one-halt
the cost OF State-aid roads, all other
roads arc often robbed OF any nm.
rrovement. 30 that r,Ilc or NO Of
CONTINUED on Second Page.)