Milford chronicle., 1919-12-19

. suppose that q certain village has ask
ed TO have the State highway rur
through the town and that this ha.
been done. Picture the local traffic
vehicles drawn up on both sides O
the street, the butchers wagon, tn,
grocer's truck, the doctors motor. z
common enough occurrence. What Of
the swiftly passing through traffic Oh
that State highway? 1t is not long un.
til the villagers are thinking quite a,
hard things of the through traffic as
the through traffic can possibly think
OF the villagers. True, it might be DOS
sible to get a wider right of way
through towns, but that usually in
wolves cutting down some of the towns
faVorite trees, or digging up a cher
ished grass plot, or tapping of some
body's front porch, or taking a slice
off the front yard. The policy of the
Delaware State Highway Department
is, therefore, to take the road very
near the town, but around it; there
are some exceptions to this general
rule but they are few.
1 Referring to the choice of the con
crete road by the State Highway De-
partment, the pamphlet in part says
"The outstanding advantages of the
concrete road are easily stated. The
tractor force is much less than that
of other types of road. 1t is not dusty;
the surface does not have to be treat
ed with oil or in any other manner
The life of the concrete road is longer
by several hundred per cent than that
of other improved roads. A macadam
road hnr q. 10
structed every ten years. A concrete
road is good for forty years (perhaps
moreD and even then it can form a
base for another pavement.
This is the real argument for con-
crete rOads-the small cost of main
tenance. The cost of maintaining
bituminOus macadam road is from ap-
prOximately $1,000 to $500 per mile
per year, whereas S100 per mile per
years is a liberal allowance for the
maintenance of a concrete road In
1916 figures from Milwaukee and other
communities where first class con-
crete roads have been built, show an
average of from $50 to $50 per mile
for labor and materials for maintain
ing the surface of a concrete road.
The figures of 500 for 1919 repre-
sents an increase of from 100 per cent
to $50 per cent in the cost of labor
and materials.
In ~ years the State has paid
only $4,000 for the maintenance of 80
miles of concrete road, and according
to the Delaware experience, the cost
of this maintenance is not increasing"
Taking up the subject of State Aid"
roads the pamphlet says in part:
by State aid roads we now mean
east to west county roads paid for
jointly by State and county, but built
under the supervision of the State
'In 1920 the State Highway Depart
ment will set aside S75O,OOO to be used
to aid the counties in building roads. |
This sum marks an epoch in the story /
Of State aid in Delaware.
"An adequate State aid policy is inn /
Derative in a genuine State road build /
ing plan. 1t is obvious that if there |
are 1898 miles of public roads in the /
States and if the main arterial or
-runk-line system of 270 miles COM
Drises the State system directly built
and maintained by the State Highway
dAhOoA al VI BNAd " al
'oads remain under county or local
control.
"The General Assembly in the ses-
lion of 1903 passed an act providing
hat the State should appropriate
10000 each year for each county, to
ssist that county in road building
FOR years it has been plain that this
mount of State aid, $4,000 a year to
ach county, was woefully inadequate.
n 1906 the New Castle County High
gay Commission reported, after four
ears of State aid, that if all the 1000
niles of the county roads were to be
at this rate it would take
wO hundred years to complete the .
rork!
In evolving the State road plan.
therefore,, one of the main principles
rhich the chief engineer had in mind ,
s imperative was the extension of ;
reater State aid to the counties for
Dad construction. The additional
tate aid legislation, recommended by +,
le department and passed by thNi
eneral Assembly in 1919, therefore +,
rovides that the State Highway De-
artment shall set aside not less than
lUU.uUV GdCn FGaA AtAAI uNPoA AAAAGAA l..
as more than doubled the sum for
ext year to be offered equally to the
lree cOunties). The counties are to
opropriate dollar for dollar to match d
le State appropriation, and the State
Dpropriation is not available if the f.
lunty defaults in its obligation. The e
,unties are also to appropriate $lOO r.
sr mile annually for the maintenance c
these State aid roads. el
THE really important points in this {,
gislation, aside from the fact that it
axes it possible more quickly for the 81
,unty road system to supplement the
tate system and be really an integral :.
art of it, are the facts that the con- !
ruction of roads is under the general
lpervision of the State Highway De-
,rtment; that State standards must
! uniformly observed; and that al
ough the counties pay for the main
nance, the maintenance is done in
Inform way through the State by the
ate Highway Department 1t has
ng been clear that the lack of stand
ds. both as to construction and main
nance in the public roads of the
ate, has been one of the greatest
'awbacks in the States efforts to
aintain an efficient transportation
stem.
"A maximum of s25O,OOO as State aid
available to each county in 1920,
divided the county matches it with
1e sum.
In all, 81 miles of State aid roads
e now under contract; 5S miles will
under contract by spring. All OF
ese are in Sussex, in which six con-
acts are now in operation. un-
,ubtedly, however, miles in New