The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-11-30
PRICE EFFECTED
BY GOOD ROADS
EXPERIMENTS FOR FIVE YEARS
SHOW REMARKABLE INCREASE
IN LAND PRICES
MORE THAN OFFSETS THE TOTAL COST
Experts Had Charge of Work and
Their Reports Are Very
Convincing
MORE THAN OFFSETS THE TOTAL COST

~ utitlIiiut dS Idi dS poSSiuic thC
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 surveys 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 Oun
ties reveals the rather interesting fact
that following the improvement Of the
main market roads the increase in the
selling price of tillable farm lands serv-
ed by the roads has amounted to from
one to three times the total cost Of the
improvements. The increase in values
in those instances which were record
ed ranged from GO per cent to 80 per
cent in Spotsylvania county, Va; from
6S to 1914 in Dinwiddie county, Va; 70
to so in Lee county, Va; 25 to 100 in
Wise county, Va; 8 to ia in FRANKLIN
county, N. Y; so to 100 in Dallas cOun-
ty, Ala; 25 to so in Lauderdale 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 a distance of l mile on
each side of the roads improved.
In Spotsylvania county a careful re-
cord was made in 1910 of 35 farms To-
Gated on the road selected for improve
ment. OF the Z farms sold in 1912 the
prices actually paid show increases of
from 81 to 116 per cent over the 1910
valuation. The average value after
the roads were improved was $2S.26
per acre, as compared with $17.31 pre-
vious to the "irrrovement. In 1913
four transfers farm land We're on
the basis of $3,,rl per acre, whereas
the properties were listed in 1910 at
only $13.S9 per acre. 1t appears that
the 1,451 acres sold in 1914 increased
in value $28, 500, or so per cent, or from
$2i46 to $i4.1O per acre.
In Dinwiddie county, Va, the actual
price Of As farms sold or offered for
sale from 1909 to 1914 ranged in price
from $8.3S 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, n study Of eight
: r,,.i,. .1,,,, ,I, y,aI, I,fn,, nnI ALTON
improvement indicated that these prop
critics increased about 1923 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 $500 per acre be-
fore improvement to $79.44 after the
roads yer improved. There We're in
crcases in valuation in other sections
acre.
In Franklin county, n. Y, the figures
seem to indicate that the change from
earth, sandy, and loan roads to blum
nous macadam was followed by in
creases averaging $12.50 per acre, or
about 30.7 per cent.
In Dallas county, Ala, careful in
v~estigation seemed TO indicate that
road improvement has added at least
s. 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 s25 per acre.
In La%uderdale county, Miss, the
total assessed valuation of real prop
erty outside Of the city was $2,757, 546.
This increased in 1914 after road i'm
provement to 1913, 500, or 15.4 Per
cent. Local real estate men place the
increase in land values on account of
improved roads at from 25 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 Of the bonds