Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-03-19
IOWA PROPOSE
new ROAD Bill
County Engineer Frank Arneson of
Winneshi-K County Gives Us
Very Good Article About
the New Road Bill
IOWA TO RECEIVE
THE SUM OF $2,OOO,OOO
Provided the State Will Meet This
Amount Dollar for Dollar, Which
the State Proposes to Do.

in regard to the proposed NEW
ROAD BILL" which is being drafted
by the joint committee composed of
a committee from the House Of Rep
resentaties and the Senate, and also
in regard to the petitions being cir
culated against ANY new road lesis- |
laGon" that l think it proper. at
this time, to inform the general pub
lie in this way the Interpretation OF
the Proposed" bill as outlined by
Mr.. Thos. McDonold, Chief Engineer
of the Iowa State Highway Commits
sion and also from reports from the
Des Moines newspapers.
The Federal government set aside
$75,o00,000 for 1919, in it's Post
office Appropriation Bill, whi2l is TO
be used for the construction OF
roads of which Iowa will receive
$2,000,000, provided the State will
meet this amount dollar for dollar.
This the state proposes to do by in-
Creasing the auto lisCenses and plac-
ing a heavy tax on the auto trucks
and possibly in other ways, OF which
l am not informed. This money is TO
be used on a net work Of roads
throughout the state of Iowa which
will comprise of about 5000 miles,
OF which each county has a share.
These roads to be known as the
primary system, which is only an
other name Tor the Inter-COunty
Road System which was laid out by
the board OF supervisors in 1917 for
Federal aid work. These roads run
across this county east, west, north
and south and connect with county
seats of the surrounding counties,
and is between 45 and so miles il
length.
These roads are to be built to
grade and standard cross section
and will be either gravel, macadam or
paved with brick or concrete.
The cost of this construction will
be met as above which Will be 70
per cent of the cost The remaining
% per cent will be assessed to the
owners of the land along which the
road will be improved, within one
mile and not more than three miles
away.
For example, We will say con-
crete road is to be built which will
cost $4,000 per mile. AS most roads
run on the section line, the cost will
be S11 900 for one-half the road.
The government will pay Is per cent
leaving 25 per cent for the land own
ers which will be $3.50. Then say
we go back one mile, which is the
minimum distance, which will be q
square mile or $40 acres. Then each
acre will be assessed $4.30.
The owner living along the road
will be directly benefited and will
be assessed more and assessments
will decrease the farther back we go,
but the average will be the same
Then the person owning 100 acres
of land will pay $4,000, which can
be paid at the time the road is built
or can pay it in l year payments for
10 years by paying 6 per cent inter-
est.
This does not take into considera
tion the amount in which the land
will increase in value, for We all
know as soon as hard-surfaced
road is built that the value of the
land will increase. In some states the
increase has been from $500 to S25.-
90 per acre, the average being $lO.-
90 which would be a paved road and
gain of $500 per acre. But disre-
garding the increase in the land
value, will it be worth $4,000
year and interest at per cent for
the use of this road?
The above figures are used only as
al SAdiiple Dut IdTSG cuOu6h, w
lieve, to be the average cost in ordi
nary cases. Gravel or macadam roads
can be built for from $4,000 to $12,
600 per mile, but believe if the as
sessment plan is worked out that the
owner Of the land will deem it better
to put in $1.50 to $500 per acre
more and have road that will last.
1T has been a proven fact that car
travel has increased 80 per cent in
the last years and now it is an
every day occurance to see a 10 or
IS ton motor truck on the highways.
which are also increasing and it is a
great problem to figure how long a
second class road will last.
The county money which is levied
for county road work will be used in
improving the remainder of the
county roads, which is 213 miles at
this time. IL the townships wish to
improve a road the township is to
pay SO per cent of the cost, the coun-
ty 25 per cent and the land owners
25 per cent, the same as above.
If the supervisors wish to COM
plete the roads as fast as possible
they may, with the vote Of the peo-
pie, bond the county for not over o
years and pay for the bonds as the
money from the government is re-
CeiVed
/ believe this will be a good plan
and l believe in using the roads as
soon as possible and not wait for the
money from time to time. But be
using them and receiving the bene-
fit from them and pay as the assign
ment comes in.
Strictly speaking, Winneshiek
county can have good roads now
without one cent of bond issue, and
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