The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-01-19
.*ROAD
BUILDING
COST OF ROADS AND BRIDGES
Construction Expenditures Have In
creased Nearly FourfoId 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 greater and
greater proportion of the amounts ex.
pended have come to be paid out un-
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
flee of Public Roads and Engineering
of the United States department of ag-
riculture.
The total length of public roads in
the United States outside the limits of
incorporated towns and cities was
about 2,452,OO0 miles on January L,
1916. Of this, about 277,OOO 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
$S0,000,000 per year in 1904 to about
$3.50, 100000 in 1915, an increase of
more than 250 per cent. The expendi-
ture of state funds during this same
period increased from about $2,50O,O0O |
to more than $53,000,0OO. In addition, |
more than S27,000,00O 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
created in 1891 in New Jersey and now
some form of highway department ex-
SITS in every state except Indiana,
South Carolina and Texas. Since their
inception these departments had ex-
pended to January 1, 1916, an aggre-
rate of $685., 350,825 in state funds for
Dad and bridge construction, main
enance, and administration. They had
constructed over 10000 miles of roads
n cooperation with the states. More
han 10000 miles Of these roads were
urfaced.
The falling off in the value of road
york performed by statute and convict
abor was from $20,0OO,OOO in 1904,
yhen the total road expenditures were
to about $15,O00,0OO in I
915 when the total expenditures had
rown to S2S2,OOO,OOO. This 'was a re- !
uction from 25 per cent Of the total {
4 the former year to less than 5k per
emit of the total In 1915 '
An increase in the use of better and ]
lore expensive types Of roads also is
sites. This development has been due q
/ large part, TO the great increase in 1
ltomobile traffic. 1t is estimated that :
lere are now approximately two and s
half million automobiles in use on
lie roads of the country, or one car y
" every mile of road. This present
otor traffic III in excess Of traffic OF {
L sorts IL years ago. 8
The cash road and bridge expendi-
Tres of the United States averaged I
lily $28 per mile of rural roads in h
,O4. In 1915 this average had grown E
$1O9 per mile. New Jersey led all o
her states both in 1904 and in 1915, e
18th $221 and G475 per mile respective il
. Nevada made the least expendi-
re in both years-$3.72 per mile In h
O4 and SIT per mile in 1915. n