Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-03
Mileags Of Surfaced
Roads Increasing 1 200
Miles Every Year

Rapid increane in total expenditures
for roads and bridges, growth of build
ing and maintenance activities under
state supervision, and sharp decrease
in the proportion of Contributions in the
form of statute labor mark the de
velopment Of highway work in the
United States during the past twelve
years. These facts are brought out
by statistics for the calendar year 1915
recently compiled by the office of pub
lie roads and rural engineering Of the
United States department of agricui-
ture.
The total length Of public roads in
the United States outside the limits of
incorporated towns and cities was
about 2,452o00 miles on Jan. /, 1916.
OF this. about 277.000 miles. or 11.S
per cent, were improved with some
form of suffacing. The mileage of sur
faced roads has been Increasing at the
rate of about $4,000 miles year, and
in 1915 approximately one half of this
Increase was made under the super
vision of state highway departments.
In addition these departments super
vised the maintenance Of nearly $4,000
miles of main and trunk line roads.
The increase in expenditures for
road and bridge work in the United
States has been from approximately
sso,oG0.000 per year in 1904 to abou,
s2S2,000,000 in 1915, an increase OF
more than $50 per cent. The expendi-
ture of state funds during this same
period increased from about $2,550, 900
to more than $50, 100000. In addition,
more than S27,000.000 of local funds
was spent under state supervision in
1915, bringing the total road aud
bridge expenditures managed by the
states to ss0,514,699. This amount is
greater than the total expenditures for
roads and, bridges from all sources in
1904.
The growth In Importance of the
state highway departments has been
rapid. The first of these agencies was
created in 1891 in New Jersey and now
some form of highway department .ex-
lists in every state except Indiana,
South Carolina and Texas. Since their
inception htese departments had ex
pended to Jan. I. 1916, an aggregate Of
s265,350,S25 in state funds for road and
bridge construction, maintenance, and
administration. They had constructed
over $4,000 miles of roads In cooper
alton with the states. More than 49,
600 miles of these roads were surfaced.
The falling off In the value OF road
work performed by statute and convict
labor was from s20.000,000 In 1904
when the total road expenditures were
ss0,000.00o. to about s15,090,000 in 1915
when the total expenditures had grown
to $3.50. 900. This was a reduction
from 25 per cent of the total in the
former year to less than IA per, cent
of the total In 1915. "a
An increase in the usesof better and
more expensive types of roads: also IS
shown by the recently compiled Stats
tics. This development has been due.
in large part, to. the great increase in
automobile trafffc5It Is estimated that
there are now approxima tely 2,500.0e0
automobiles in use on the roads Of the
country, or one car for every mile Of
road. This present motor traffic Is in
exces's OF traffic OF all sorts twelve
years ago. -
The cash road and bridge expendi-
lures Of the United States averaged
only SIS per mile OF rural roads in
1904. In 1915 this average had grown
to s109 per mile New Jersey led all
other states both in 1904 and In 1915
with 1921 and s475 per mile respective
". Nevada made the least expendi-
ture in both years-s3I2 per mile in
1904 and SIT per mile in 1915.