Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-29
Year SEES VAST
AMOUNT Of WORK
ON LINCOLN ROAD
Great Highway Is Rapidly As
suming Form as the Back
bone Of a National
System.

All America Is interested in the
Lincoln Highway. This great road,
isid out and proclaimed as q memoir
ial to Lincoln by the Lincoln High
way association in 1918 as the first
great highway of national impor-
tance, has come to be looked upon as
Americas object lesson road" y
has come to be, through the COM
handing importance of its stragetia
location, the main line or backbone
of a gradually developing national
system. of highways.
Every American interested in the
great constructive accomplishments
OF the nation will be interested to
learn that the year 1919. following
so~closely upon the heels Of war.
witnessed the greatest constructive
development on the Lincoln High
way ever accomplished in a single
year.
As the United States office of pub
lie roads has announced, every or
ganization in the country having any
part in highway Improvement can
feel a large measure of satisfaction
III the fact that road building was
the one big public activity which got
Ter wav promptly following the
var. which opened large field for
unemployed labor and which offered
a market for construction material
War Booms Road Building.
The war gave tremendous impe-
tbs to highway construction, as its
lessons had highly beneficial effect
upon public opinion, with the result
that there was almost a universal
demand for proper permanent high.
way improvement in every part OF
the country as soon as the war
ended.
Moreover, during 1917 highway
construction in every part OF the
country was greatly curtailed and
came almost to a stop in 1918, with
result that road conditions had be-
come very bad even on the most i'm.
portant main highways in every sec
ton Of the country, while highway
funds had continued to pile up IN
the treasures of the various counties
and states and were available for
the undertaking of great construc-
ion projects early in 1919. In many
states large bond issues for high
way construction had been passed
during the war with the provision
that the bonds should be sold and
the work started after the war.
Greater Plans for 1920.
As a result of all conditions 1919
will doubtless be looked upon as the
real start of what will later probably
be considered as the era of American
highway building. While it cannot
be said that 1919 marked the climax
oil Lincoln Highway activity, in view
Of the fact that plans for 1920 indi-
cate even greater accomplishments,
y nevertheless the years Developments
along the Lincoln way are an excel
lent barometer of the highway sit
t.ation IN this country generally.
The actual improvement accom-
phshed on the Lincoln Highway in
1919 bids fair to equal the combined
work of the previous FIVE years, dur
ing which the Lincoln Highway as
ISOLATION was actively promoting the
construction of the route.
The Lincoln Highway associa-
tons headquarters has completed a
careful compilation of expenditures
rpon its improvement during the
last year by the various states and
counties through which the highway
passes. In. the majority Of states
federal aid has largely augmented
t.le state and county funds, the route
having been established as federal
aid road to be improved directly un'
der the inspection Of the govern
inont for more than three-quarters
of its tota! distance between New
York and San Francisco.
81, 362, AZ In Six Years.