The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-11-25

COST IS Low
State Highways Built of
Dirt Are Found in
Fine Condition

Bismarck, N. D., Nov. 23.-The
North Dakota highway commission
has just completed a communication
or engineering costs which Indicate
| that this state is doing its prelimin-
airy road work at a much lower cost
than a majority of the American COM
monwealths which are engaging in
state and federal highway building
on similar scale sy
During the first year the surveying
costs were $25.71 per mile At the
last annual conference of the state
highway commission the average
cost reported by states represented
there was around $50 per mile. The
cost OF making plans is $26.44 per
mile, the surveys, reconnaissance work
and supplies bringing the aggregate
cost Of completed plans, preliminary
to the actual beginning of construc-
ton, up to $56.15 per mile,
In Wisconsin, which engages in a.
much more expensive type of high
way construction, the preliminary
cost is $50 per mile. Federal engi-
neers have been agreeably surprised
by the low cost of engineering work
in this state, which is but three per
cent on the expense of building dirt
roads, which averages in North Da-
kota $500 per mile.
The proportion of preliminary en-
gineering expense to the whole cost
of complete mile of highway in this
state is higher because OF the COM
paratively low grade OF road building
which is being done. If North Da-
kota We're building highways cost
ing $4,000 per mile, as some Of her
sister states are doing, the preIimin-
airy expense would be less than three
tenths Of one per cent OF the whole
cost.
On five federal projects which have
been completed the total engineering
cost, including thorough inspection
during construction, has averaged go
per cent of the total.
Roads In Good Shape.
North Dakota's earth roads built
during the last summer under the di-
rection of the state highway depart
ment and with federal supervision
stack up very well with anything to
be- found in the same type Of con-
struction in South Dakota, Minnesota
or Wisconsin, the other three states
included in this federal highway dis.
trict, says F. D, Hudgins, senior engi-
neer of the office of public roads,
with headuarters> at MINNEAPOLIS.
Engineer Hudgins, with Engineer
w. w. Meyer of the North Dakota
highway department, returned yes
terday from an inspection of high
way projects which are candidates
for federal aid in the eastern part Of
the state. None of these projects was
wholly completed, because of the
shortage of labor and difficulty en-
countered in obtaining materials dur
ig the working season. There is very
little to be finished, however, when
work is resumed next spring.
Work In Golden Valley. ,t
H. *. Craig, advance engineer for
the state highway department. has
returned from Golden Valley county,
where he lined up 20 miles of federal
highway work to be surveyed next
summer. Eight miles Of this project
is on the Red Trail, between Sentinel
Butte and Beach; six miles extends
north from Beach to Trotters and
six miles from Beach to Golva- The
original construction will be plain
earth road, but the highway depart
ment expects to experiment later with
Scoria, the nature baked shale from
the Bad Lands, which has been used
with success in that section of the
state as road surfacing material.
The scoria resembles. in texture
hard kilnbaked brick, and is almost
impervious to moisture. Yet 1t binds
very well under heavy traffic.