Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-01-04
NEED S87,OOO,OOO
TO PUT WISCONSIN
HIGHWAYS IN SHAPE.
State Highway Commission Advo-
Gates Move; Permanent Roads
to Cut Cost of Maintenance

4
"The total remaining cost of plae-
ing the highways and bridges of Wis
consin in reasonably fair condition
for maintenance would be $4,000, 900.
This statement is taken from the
eport of the Wisconsin highway COM
mission which has just been nled with
the governor. The report says that
indications are that the cost of COM
pleting the prospective state highway
system, if reduced to $4,000 miles,
woud be $4,000; the cost of placing
the 81, 600 miles of township roads in
suitable condition for maintenance
would be $24,000,000; for the cost of
reconstructing bridges would be $32,-
100000. Assuming that $S,000,000 I'm
federal aid is received from 1917 to
1926 inclusive, the gross cost to the
people of Wisconsin for reconstruct
ing it's highways would be $79,000,000.
Amounts to Large Sum
''If present expenditures are contin-
ued, under present methods and laws.
$80,000,000 will have been expended
in the next eight years and at the end
of that period the 81 900 miles of town
road will be little improved over their
present condition. says the report.
"In accordance with the above esti-
mates the annual cost of maintaining
Wisconsin's highways would be $3,-
100000 per year for the state high
ways; $2,440,00 for the town high
ways, and $4,000 for all bridges-a
total annual cost of maintenance of
$6,O60,000.
"The above figures are not mere
guesses. They are founded on the ex-
perience of the state highway COM
mission for five years and very COM
plete knowledge of road and bridge
conditions and needs in Wisconsin.
They are given here to indicate to the
average man the magnitude Of the
road and bridge problem which
faces the state
"These above figures neglect the
probable cost of new roads, many
miles Of which will be laid out in the
next ten years."
Means Tax of 1.8 Mills
The commission then shows that if
the total estimated cost to the peo-
pie of the state of recOnstructing the
remainder of the state highway and
of reconstructing the town roads
($47, ,000,000) is divided by ten and OF
Teconstructing all bridges ($32000, ,O0O
is divided by twenty, it would pro-
duce a net cost of $6,340,000 per year,
which is equal to mill tax of 1.S
mills for ten years on the anticipated
average state valuation for the ten
years, $3,5O0,000,O00. If the total
cost of maintenance is placed against
the state valuation it indicates an av-
erage of 173 mills for maintenance,
or total average tax for the construc-
ton and maintenance of all roads and
bridges during the ten year period or
3.53 mills on the state valuation.
"The truth of the matter is that the
people of Wisconsin have a great
highway problem on their hands and
have not realized either the extent OF
it or the cost of it's solution says the
report. "While the population has in
creased 121 per cent in the past forty
years and the travel has increased all
out OF proportion to the increase in
population, the methods Of road main
tenance and administration in the
towns has not varied in twenty years.
More Permanent Roads
''To sum up, Wisconsin is now spend
ing $10000,000 for rural highway con-
struction and maintenance and for
which adequate returns are not Sc
cured. If instead of doing the same
work over and over, one-tenth of the
road system were properly built each
year and then maintained, Wisconsin
ten years hence will have a fairly ade-
quate system of roads and will have
spent less money than it will spend
under the present system if contin-
ued ten years"
A bill will probably be introduced
in the legislature for a direct mill tax
for road construction and mainten-
ance.
The trunk line systems and the
methods for the county voting bonds
are discussed in the commissions re-
port at length.
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