Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-08-13
ROADS OF NEW YORK
RUN OVER 10000 MILES
Majority of Lengths of Highway Greater Than Worlds
circumference Have Not Yet Been Improved-Com-
missioner Greene Has Gigantic Task Before Him.

New fork's State Highway Com
missioner Frederick Stuar; Greene. re-
marks that his job is TO keep open so. 900
miles OF roads, in various stages OF
Improvement and unimprovement.
some idea of the extent OF this work
can pc got by comparing the figure
VIII inc circumference Of the globe.
oil miles OF New York roads have not
YET oeen improved. it is true. but that
WI, come in time. Mr.. Greenes plan
is 10 inauSuratc Il program of build
ing, OF new roads. permanent roads
and not iissuc-paper roads" as he ex-
pressed II the other day.
Beforc going into the question OF
work that is to be done" said he. st
rta wise TO get an idea OF what has al
ready been done in the matter Of road
building and road Improvement and
how II has been done.
There arc about 900 engineers en-
ployed In State highway work. Al the
sioner, myself. an engineer Under
MN arc three deputies. one in charge
Of new construction work. one in
charge OF maintenance nnd repairs. and
one In charge Of the upkecp OF the
fasiiape 81 'V York I%"" the sa4t oru is do 10
vision had its own divisional engineer
ana assisting staff. The number Of
counties in division varies-some
nave as ii,,le as four: others as many
AS nine. iicsid.s the county highway
enSinser. tho state maintains a resi-
dent engineer for every JOB thar hap
pms y he going on in any one county.
Whtn ! was appointed 70 office the
state had ZOO miles OF improved
roads, To pTe you vivid imaSc
Of What that means. let me say that
stretched out from New York 10 san
Francisco and back again and from
Montreal /? Fioridn. We would still
nave moro left over than the total OF
improved
jersey and Rhode Island
These roads fall under four differ
tnt headings.
Firs, Of al. ne have the state
roads which al" paid for~en.irely by
the state These connect the larger
and more important cities. their loca-
lature.
Secondly. we have the state and
county roads. the STATE paving Ger
tain proportion Of the building costs
and tho county m"ctin: the dehcit. Al
MS roin' let me say that once a road
Is Quilt IN" stat assumes all the
and maintenance ~ present about
one-,hird OF the counties 2r. meeting
the costs on ha and half basis. TIE
roorer communities. however. some
tunes Pay as LITTLE as 20 per cent TO-
ward the building Of these roads.
The third division is that known
proved locally by the towns and
counties. We have q great many roads
Of this type in tho Counties of NASSAU.
WcstGhcster, suffolk. Monroe. Frank
In and Eric
The fourth type OF roads is the Fed
crai aid roads, These arc all sixteen
loot roads and are paid for. half and
halt. b. tho State and the Fedora gov
crrment Where there is special de-
nand In any community for {, road
wider than sixteen feet. that com.
+ munity pays for the extra width.
building Program
az present the road building pro-
gram calls for IN additional improved
road mileage OF $500 miles. making a
iotal OF 1900 miles OF improved high
ways. My policy In building the new
roads s 10 make them permanent and
not tissue paper roads that need con-
tinua! patching and mendiug. The con.
crete roads best answer that need.
There -. however. :, good deal n. oDDO-
sition connected with The buiidin: o.
ihcse on account ~ their initial cost