Evening journal., 1919-12-17
10 MILES OF
ROADS IN new
STATE SYSTEM
Continued from First Page.

authority authorized to build Il or any
other state road" n
The pamphlet then describes the en-
aciment OF the Boulevard Corporation
Act, and the formation Of the dupont
Boulevard Corporation. IL also tells OF
the difficulties encountered in New Cas-
tie and Kent counties In getting the
right OF way for the dupont Boulevard.
ID also records that three months after
the state Highway Department was or
ganized the Boulevard Corporation,
through rs president. General r. Cole
man dupont, in September. 1917, for
mally offered 10 abandon construction
OF the dupont Boulevard so soon as It
should be completed 10 the Appenzellar
farm. about four miles south OF Mil
lord. and OF General duPonts offer TO
pay for tde construction OF a Stale
highway from Milford 20 Wilmington
over such route, OF such width and Of
such materials as the State Higway
Commission should specify
THE proposal was accepted" con
tinues the pamphlet. This means that
the cost of 60 miles Of trunk-line com
prlsins an essential part of the state
highway system does not have to come
out OF the States road fund. and that a
very considerable amount Of State
money Is. therefore, released for other
paris Of the state system.
Although the width "a feet) OF the
dupont Boulevard south Of the Appen-
cellar Farm Is 2 fee. less than that OF 8
ihe rest Of the state system. the char [
acter OF construction is the same, and
ha dupont Boulevard set O new stand [
lrd for the state 10 Is a permanent !
D 4 A.. - .Na~IsN
irates q very important principle in n
modern road building; that straight ! h
line Is. after all. the shortest distance
between two points. AS. General du- 4
pont pointed out, the only really per- q
manent thing about n road Is ifs loca- q
tion-sO get that right These prin- n
ciples. applied in the Sussex Boulevard. y
were O valuable heritage for the State
Highway Department when IL came into
existence"
The pamphlet sets forth that away n
back In 1911 the Legislature authorized
a company 20 build an artificial road 4,
from Wilmington 10 Great Valley TO be
"an even surface rising toward the mid
he by a gradual arch" :
"Tht building Of good roads In Della rC
ware requires for its satisfactory com
pletion a Statewide system covering es
not only the 270 miles Of the State sys- io
tenn as at present planned, but ultimate vi
ly affecting every mile OF the 1888 miles W
of public roads OF the State, and extend
ing through every county, every hun m
dred, every Incorporated district" con- h
tinues the pamphlet. In
To-day the State Of Delaware has on n,
,ially resumed It's responsibility for
rood roads. II again demands the per
'occ road. as lt did In 1911 The only y
differences arc that the State no longer -
aves the construction 20 private cor g,
1orations, and that the perfect road Of y.
1920 has a different composition from w
that of isii ~
Delaware Ike other progressive IA
States. now knows that 10 must build M
new roads, not as an added convenience m
for tourists. nor as a source OF graft for
political contractors. but as an impera- OF
tive necessity for Delaware farmers and IN
business men, for Delaware communi- ca
ties" co
Discussing the oft-asked subject. ha
why the State Roads Go Around st
Towns. Rather Than Through Them" WI
The pamphlet says NJ
"Since the main purpose OF State 81,
highways Is 10 connect towns. why not all
run the roads straisht through them? co
This Is a question Oft asked OF the IN
State Highway Department Engineers va
experienced In road building know the
answer. They know that citizens who IN
petition one year 10 have the road run ~.
right through their town COM back ss
the next year with a petition TO have or
the road taken up and run around it. ~
near but outside. Let us suppose that on
certain Village has asked to have the -.
State highway run throuSh the town. a.
and that This has been done. Picture ~,
he local trafilc-vehicles drawn up on a.
both sides OF the street, the butchers 81
WAGON. the grocer's truck. the doctors ye
motor. a common enough occurrence. ~ =
What OF the SWIFTLY nassing through Ou
traffic on that state highway2 n Is not ~
Ions until the villagers are thinking 10
quite as hard things Of the through uc
traffic as the through traffic can pOssi- aN
bly, think OF the villagers. True. Il oh
might be possible 10 get a wider right pr
of way through towns but that usually tn
involves cutting down some OF the TO
towns favorite trees, or digging up a
cherished grass plot, or tapping or lel
SOMEBODY'S front porch. or taking a mi
slice of the front yard The policy OF co
The Delaware State Highway Depart st
inent is. therefore. 10 take the road pa
very near the town. but around it; sr
there are some exceptions TO this gen su
cral rule. but they are few. pa
Referring to The choice Of the con- he
crete road by the State Highway De- IN
pariment the pamphlet In part says iel
The outstanding advantages Of the I'm
concrete road are easily stated The ST
tractor force Is much less than that OF no
other types OF road. II Is not dusty: the bo
surface does not have TO be treated with na
~ or In any other manner. The life ba
the concrete road is longer by sew ha
u hundred per cent. than that of la'
her improved roads. A macadam
I'd. for instance. has TO be recon- &
ructed every ten years; concrete y,
nad IS good for 40 years perhaps nm
moreD and even then Il can form a -
base for another pavement. a.
This is the real argument for con- ~.
crete roads-the small cost Of malnten- az az
ince. The cost Of maintaining a BIZ a..
luminous macadam road is from ap- ~
lroximately 5000 to $500 per mile per "a
EAR, whereas 500 per mile per year Is 80 go,
liberal allowance for the maintenance ~
Il concrete road. In 1916 figures from uy
Milwaukee and other communities Io
where first class concrete roads have =
)een huilt show an average 0f from go
% $50 per mile FOR labor and materials
'or maintaining the surface or a con-
trafo road 1f.0 re aff.. - srfr