The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-13
The State Road System

The Virginia highway commission
was established eleven years ago Be-
| ginning with little authority ane less
/ money the conInission has gradually
! advanced until it rs recognized as one
of the most efficient highway depart
ments in the United states. Since the
commission was organized various
virginia counties have voted bonds and
HNied taxes for improved road con-
strucuon aggregatins $4,000. 600. Ten
| counties In Southwest Virginia pro-
vtded more than s5.G00,000 of this.
! with meager state aid. the highway
! commission has constructed approx
/ matelY 5000 miles Of improved roads
and built hundreds OF permanent
! bridges. Perhaps 1000 >addtionsl miles
Of improved road has been construct
Cd under local supervision.
/ Two years ago, after repeated urZ-
Ing from the highway commissioner,
! the general assembly directed that u
part Of the automobile license funds
, be used. with local cooperation. in
maintaining the state-aid- built roads, |
practically all of which had greatly
! deterlorated for want OF maintenance. |
What Is the result of this expendi- I
! ture of ten years of time and ten mil 1
! lion dollars? Seven thousand miles of
/ improved road and several hundred 7
| permanent bridges, and vet such local
patchw ork roads that citizen OF the
| state cannot today travel by automo-
mile across the lines between ten coun- Z
ties in the state. because of the i'm
| psssaAe condition of the roads. There
| is perhaps not single stretch of i'm
proved public road in the state 100
miles in length. Fully so per cent OF
the efficiency or the improved roads
is lost because of the unimproved gaps
Is the trouble with the highway de-
}
progressive counties whose citizens /
have provided money with which TO
build roads? Not at all It liz with
the localized conditions under wh!eh I
the roads have been constructed and /
the lack OF power to enforce cornpre- |
hensive road plans.
The last general assembly, realizins |
that the state could not make a proper /
/ progress without comprehensive (
system of state roads Appointed COM T
mittee to report such a road system. |
| The future progress of the state will !
depend to a large extent upon the
vision and wisdom with which the
Legislature treats the report OF that /,
committee. IL the legislature realizes !
that the time has come for Vfrkiniaus /
! to think as a state unit rather than |
as county units in regard 10 the prin- !
cipal arteries of travel throughout the |
state, and has the good judgment to
take the necessary steps to provide for
"a system Of state constructed and |
maintained state roads, then the state /
will go forward and accomplish more ,
in the next TWO years. even under pres |
ent conditions, than it has accom- :
plshed in ten years. so far as prac-
tical results are concerned.
The general assembly OF the state
has provided rarsiinoniously for i'm
proved roads and has received small
returns. For instance, take the year
1917. The paltry sum OF sS00,a00 APP
propriated for state aid road work ex-
pense OF convict camps and criminal
expenses OF road convicts, expenses of
highway department and cost Of road
EIsinteuance. And more than 100000
Of this 100000 was collected from au-
tomobile owners for licenses to ope.
rate their cars over their patchwork Of
roads to which The state has contri-
buted practically nothing. only $500
o00~fronl tax funds for state road work
of every kind.
What is the remedy The automo-
bile license funds should be used ex-
clusively for the purpose OF maintain
ing the state roads by the state. with :
out help from the eounties, II is JUST |
foolish for tie general assembly II |
fail to provide new roof for the
state Capitol, when needed. as Il is to !
neglect TO provide a roof and wear. |
ing surface for the state roads when |
1tccdebs ana the TotLuS QeFu q Fcpt ana |
wearing surface a85 DAYS In the year. |
The state auditor reports that the |
present levies will produce q million /
dollar surplus in 1915 and recommend |
a reduction. The legislature should
appropriate this million dollars a year |
in addition to the present appropria- I
lions for road work, for the construc-
ton of the state road system Is
should also direct that the federal aid |
road funds and the entire convict road |
force shall be used by the highway Il
commissioner in the construction OF /
the state roads until completed. The I
highway commissioner should be given
power 10 use the convicts where they |
may he worked most efT1ciently look
ING TO the completion OF the state road |
system. Il
The state EN- reported ag |
gregates approximately $500 miles.
Possibly three fourths OF the state |
road mileage has been macadamized |
tn Southwest Virginia. and large per-
centage Of the state roads have been |
improved all over the state. The state
should provide the funds, without help |
from the counties, and concentrate the i
entire state forces on the state roads |
uutjt completed Later on, = system 4
Of state county roads. TO include the |
main county and inter-county roads