The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-03
Total New Mileage Is 1890 and Large Sum Went for
 New Bridges
JEFFERSON IN LEAD
 IN AMOUNT SPENT
State Contributed Total of $2S9,S to Work in the Various COun-
 ties of Alabama

l Montgomery, June 2.-(Special )-Ala ] bama spent last year in the constructor of roads and bridges the sum of s4,SS7 1SS. A. Of this amount s2S9, sos. .Ss came ou | of the state treasury, and the balance was spent by the counties. The total numpei 1 of miles of good roads constructed was 1 1890.
 These figures were compiled by K. r ! Boyd, assistant state highway engineer | and are part of the annual report O | the highway department for the yea | 1915 The chart containing the figures l is one of the most interesting documents ever issued by a department or state for it gives at a glance the work done all over the state in road building, the l material used in road construction, th' bridges built the expenditures both from the state and counties, and the amour of bonds issued by the several counties for highway improvement. Last year was the banner year in the state for road building. A million and a half dollars more were spent in 1915 thar in 1914 and a great many, more miles of good roads were constructed than dur ing the previous year. The total spent in 1915 was $3,017, ,591 .96 of which amount
 only $751; O25.3O came out of the statt treasury.
 JEFFERSON LEADS STATE Jefferson county led the state in ex- penditures for roads and bridges. During the year that county spent $329, 21S.1 or
 roads and $l50,216 on bridges, in round
 numbers nearly half a million dollars. Montgomery county followed second spending s1S4.502 on roads and s2S,56O or bridges. Mobile county spent $149,5 599 on roads.
 Tuscaloosa county barely reached the $100,000 mark in road expenditures, but in- cludipg the amount spent on bridges, runs considerably over that figure. That coun- ty, the fourth in the list. spent $95, ,0Ot
 on roads and $11,0 ,00O on bridges. Other counties in which the expenditures on roads and bridges were large were Calhoun, $90,951 for roads and $12,242 for bridges Dallas, $60,O0 for roads and $39, and bridges; Madison s4S,415 for roads and bridges, and Barbour, $34, 900 for roads
 and $S534 for bridges.
 The several amounts enumerated above represent money spent by the counties State-aid was given in all of the counties
 mentioned but in few cases did the ap-
 propriation exceed $10000.
 BONDS AND WARRANTS
 The total amount issued in bonds and warrants during the year for road and bridge construction was s2, 2,5S7, ,977. 80. Shelby led the state, issuing warrants to the extent of $260,0O0. Walker county issued $250 000 worth of bonds and EtoWah is- sued S200,0OO in bonds.
 Other counties which issued bonds and
 warrants in large sums for road and
 bridge construction were: Bibb, $11O 900
 in warrants; Chiffon, $121, 900 warrants;
 Fayette, $13S,000 warrants; Lowndes $150,- GOO bonds; Wilcox, $150,000 warrants; Henry $101 GOO warrants; Marengo, $120,- 900 warrants; Monroe, $100000 warrants Marion $1200O0 warrants; Houston, $50 900
 warrants, and Chambers, $5O,00O warrants.
 TOTAL ROAD MILEAGE
 The highway department figures show that the state last year constructed 177 miles of good roads. The various coun- ties built 1872 miles, the material used
 being macadam, chert, gravel and sand clay.
 According to the chart, the total mileage
 of road in Alabama is 55, 746, with only S61S miles of improved road. Montgom- cry county leads the state in good road
 mileage, the total being 45O miles of gravel
 roads, 50 miles of sand clay and 25 miles of graded road. In Jefferson county, there are 43O miles of chert roads and 370 miles of graded roads.
 Since the creation of the highway de- partment in 1911, the percentage of i'm provement in road and bridge construc- tion has been 127, according to figures of the department.
 The report of the highway department will be issued as soon as it is received from the printer The document will be replete with important facts relative to the roads of the state, and will be re-
 ceived with interest in all sections of the state.