The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-05-01
GOOD ROADS NOTES
Facts That Have a Bearing Upon
County Highway System

The following statistics and reffec-
tions on the subject Of the perlnan-;
ent highway system for Sumter coun-
ty, the direct appropriation OF Sto,Voe
for road Improvement this year ana
the proposed bond issue of :S2, o000,-
900 for the construction Of hard sur
faced roads are submitted by citl-
zen who has given the matter. a great
deal of careful consideration.
Let's get at the facts. Hard sur
faced roads for Sumter county is
big proposition and not to.sbe under
taken lightly or in an unadvised way
by the taxpayers. The people arg
entitled to the facts that will enable
them to see the proposition from all
angles. --
While the proposition is big the po-.
tential benefits loom. very large.
Sumter county people are not accus-
toned to being scared by mere .f'5fs-
ness When results are lin view no
proposition is too big nor no detail
too small to receive careful consid-
Grafton.
Everybody wants good roads. The
question is what Kind of good roads
shall we, have? How many miles OF
them? Where shall they be located
to Go the most good? The wherewith-
t all: to pay for them.
First. get in mind that the State
Highway system Of roads in the coun-
", on which the Federal Aid Funds
&c :j.,L 10 a
Of the roads Of Sunetr via Mayesvi]le
to Lee county line; Sumter via Dali
zell and Remhert to <Kershaw county
line; Sumter to Wedgefiekd and Car
ner's Ferry and Sumter and Manning
road to Clarendon county line. These
four roads total approximately fifty
miles and run out from Sumter at
anout right angles to each ether, div,
iding the county into, about four
equal parts. In order to get Federal
Aid on their construction they must
conform to certain Government re-
quirements as to width. grade, curve
ture, drainage and bridges. The State
Highway Department estimates the
present cost OF hard surface roads Of.
standard width. ETC., to be about $40
600 per 4nile, including concrete and
steel bridges.
The system Of main country roads
lately adopted, embraces, in addition
to the above-named roads Of the State
Highway System, the following roads:
Stateburg road. Sumter-Bishopville
road to Lee county line, Black River
road to Trinity church, road via Os-
wego to Lee county line. Sgpnter-Pine-
wood road to county Line and road
to PacksviIle to county line, totaling
approximately. With the State High
way system of roads, one hundred
and twenty-one miles. On these last
named roads Federal Aid is not avail
able
The dominating features in the road
situations in the county today are the
factors Of maintenance and the rap
id increase in automative rolling
stock, being used on the roads with
all that this implies.
With between six and seven hun
dred miles Of county roads and seven
hundred and eleven bridges the main
tenance problem looms large iand
when it is understood that there is
available for the maintenance of these
on an average of only twenty convict
hands it can readily be seen Why no
satisfactory system Of county roads
have ever been possible under pres
ent and past methods.
And sand-clay or tor. soil road re-
quires a certain amount Of mainten-
ance at certain definite times with
out which it soon goes to the bad.