Evening star., 1920-02-01

All America is Interested in the
Lincoln highway. This great road,
laid out and proclaimed as a memo
rial to Lincoln by the Lincoln High
way Associatin in 1913 as the first
highway of national importance, has
come to be looked upon as Americas
object lesson road" 1t has come to
be. through the commanding inn
portance of it's strategic location, the
main line or backbone of gradually
developing national system of high
ways.
yery American familiar the
great constructive accomplishments
of the nation will be interested to
learn that the year 1919, following
so closely upon the heels of the war.
witnessed the greatest constructive
development on the Lincoln highway
ever accomplished in a single year.
AS the United States office of pubic
roads has announced, every organl
zation in the country having any part
in highway improvement can 1eei u
large measure of satisfaction In the
fact that road building was the one
big activity which got under way
opened a large field for unemployed
labor and which offered market Tor
construction material
War Gives Impetus to Building.
The war gave tremendous i'm
petus to American highway conStruc-
ton, as it's lessons had highly Dene-
fetal effect upon public opinion, with
the result that there was almost
universal demand for proper perma-
nent road Improvement in every part
of the country as soon as the Worlo
conflict ended. Moreover. during ISL
highway construction in every part
of the country was greatly curtaiieu
~ X
with a result that road conditions
had become very bad, even on the
most important main highways IN
every section of the country, Whiie
highway funds had continued to plle
up in the treasures of the various
counties and states and were avail
able for the undertaking of great
construction projects early in 1913.
In many states large bond issues 1or
highway construction had been pass
ed during the war, with the provision
that the bonds should be sold ana the
work started after the war.
AS a result of all conditions 1919
will doubtless be looked upon as the
real start of what will later propaoiy
be considered as the era or American
said that 1919 marked the climax OF
the Lincoln highway activity: IN view
of the fact that plans for 1870 1ndl-
cate even greater accompllsnments
nevertheless the years developments
along the Lincoln way are an excel
lent barometer of the situation in this
country generally. The actual I'M
proyements accomplished on the Lin
coin highway in 1919 bid fair to
equal the combined work of the pre-
vious five years. during which the
Lincoln Association was actively
promoting the construction OF the
route.
Compilati0n Of Expenditures. !.
The Lincoln highway headquarters
in Detroit has recently completed
careful compilation of the expendi-
counties through which the highway
passes upon it's improvement during
the past year. The Lincoln highway,
which was at first largely a series of
connecting country roads, has grad
ually become, through official action
of the various states. an integral por-
tion of the several state systems. with
the result that the tabulation Of ex-
penditures provided direct to the as
sociation by the state highway de-
partments of the eleven states
traversed very accurately indicates
mileage of Improvement accomplish
ed. In the majority Of states federal
aid has largely augmented the state
and county funds. the route having
been established as a federal aid
road to be improved directly under
more than three-Quarters of its total
distance between New York and San
Francisco.
In the following table prepared by the
Lincoln Highway Association. showing
expenditures in each state traversed, the
amount of federal and state aid, accu-
rately reported through the highway de-
nartrnentS is augmented by such scat