New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-01-12
ROAD
BUILDING
COST OF ROADS AND BRIDGES
Construction Expenditures Have In.
creased Nearly Fourfold In the
Past Twelve Years.

prepared by the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture.)
Expenditures for the construction Of
roads and bridges in the United States
have increased nearly fourfold in the
past twelve years, while a greater and
greater proportion of the amounts ex-
pended have come to be paid out I'M
der state supervision. At the same
time there has been a marked decrease
in the proportion of contributions to
road building in the form Of statute
labor. These facts are brought out by
statistics recently compiled by the Of
fee Of Public Roads and Engineering
Of the United States department Of ag-
r%iculture.
The total length of public roads In
the United States outside the limits of
incorporated towns and cities was
about 2,452,OOO miles on January l,
1916. OF this. about 277,0O0 miles. or
lib per cent, were improved with some
form Of %surfacing. The mileage of sur
faced roads has been increasing at the
rate Of about 10000 miles a year, and
in 1915 approximately one-half of this
increase was made under the supervis-
ion Of state highway departments. In
addition these departments supervised
the maintenance of nearly $1,000 miles
of main and trunk-line roads.
The increase in expenditures for
road and bridge work in the United
States has been from approximately
$8O,OOO,0OO per year in 1904 to about
$3.50, 100000 in 1915, an increase Of
more than $50 per cent. The expendi-
ture Of state funds during this same
period increased from about $2,5OO,OOO
to more than $53,OOO,OOO. In addition,
than $27,OOO,OOO Of local funds
was spent under state supervision in
1915, bringing the total road and
bridge expenditures managed by the
states to $SO,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
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 these departments had ex-
to January 1, 1916, an aggre-
gate of $685.. 5O,S25 in state funds for
road and bridge construction, main
and administration. They had
constructed over $4,000 miles Of roads
cooperation with the states. More
than 10000 miles of these roads were
surfaced.
The falling off in the value of road
work performed by statute and convict
was from $2O,OOO,OOO in 1904,
when the total road expenditures were
S80,0O0,OO0, to about $15,O0O,OOO in
1915 when the total expenditures had
,rown to $685., 100000. This was a re-
from 25 per cent of the total
the former year to less than 81 per
cent of the total in 1915.
An increase in the use Of better and
more expensive types Of roads also is
shown by the recently compiled sta
istics. This development has been due
n large part, to the great increase in
traffic. 1t is estimated that
here are now approximately two and
, half million automobiles in use on
he roads Of the country, OF one car
or every mile Of road. This present
motor traffic is in excess Of traffic Of
Ill sorts II years ago.
The cash road and bridge expendi-
ures of the United States averaged
,nly $28 per mile Of rural roads in
9O4. In 1915 this average had grown
o 500 per mile. New Jersey led all
'ther states both in 1904 and in 1915,
With 1921 and $475 per mile respective
Y. Nevada made the least expendi-
ure in both years-$3.72 per mile in
9O4 and SIT per mile in 1915,