Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-03-10
SOME INFORMATION ABOUT
THE BABCOCK ROAD PLAN

THE BABCOCK ROAD PLAN
Highway Engineer Gives Details
and Figures Regarding
Paved Roads.
The following article was handed in
for publication by Herbert Wadel.
engineer Of County:
GOOD ROADS,
Amendment no. -xnoW1 ~
THE 8ADoo0E PLAN.
An act proposing an amendment to |
the constitution Of the State OF Mime !
sofa, providing for. and establishing !
a trunk highway system to be construct
ed, improved and maintained by the
State establishing and authorizing the
creation of fund for such purpose by
the taxation Of motor vehicles. the is
suance Of bonds and otherwise.
The adoption of the pending constitu
Babcock plan." establishes in Mime
sofa State Trunk Highway System
Of approximately 1000 miles Of main.
or arterial roads, which reaches into
every section Of the state. the high
ways to be located. constructed, re-
constructed. improved and forever main
tanned as public highways by the state
of Minnesota.
The construction and maintenance of
the roads in this system is to be done
by the state Of Minnesota and is to be
financed by a bond issue which is to
be retired by the proceeds from an in
creased tax on motor vehicles. Thu
amendment limits the issue of bonds
in any calender year TO $10,000.00s
par value and provides that there shall
never be more than $75,OO0.00O in bonds
outstanding. No bonds are issued BY
the amendment. but it simply author
ICES the legislature to issue and sell
the bonds Of the state within the limits
just stated. Bonds will be issued tc
the amount of 100000 per year fol
the ten years, not $100,0o0.00O in the
| first year, as some people think.
In order to finance the Trunk High
| way System, it will be necessary t.
| levy license fee on automobiles which
| will average SIS per car. If such a
| license fee is fixed by the Legislature,
| bonds may be issued to the full limit
| of the constitutional amendment and
! retired by the proceeds from motor
vehicles taxation. If lower rate thar
can limit the bonds to be issued to
less than $1O.O00,000 or in other words
| to the amount which can be financed
| by such license fee as is fixed. In no
| case is it expected that bonds will be
| issued in such amounts as cannot be
retired by Motor vehicle taxation.
BY the establishment of the Trunk
Highway System, all of the local funds
the state aid. county and township
| 1evies-are left intact to be used by
local authorities in building the local,
feeder roads. These funds, based on the
| past two years. average, mount to the
! gigantic total of $10,925,0O0 a year.
This would mean that in ten years from
1921 to 1880 both inclusive the counties
and townships of the state would have
a local road building fund of sos, $50, 900
or enough money to build 21,850 miles
of gravelled road at an average cost of
| $4,000 mile. This ten year period is
| cited because Commissioner Babcock
and his engineers estimate it will take
ten years to complete the Trunk High
way System.
iowa Road Maintenance Figures.
Gravel road maintenance for a
stretch of 81 miles north of Mason City
on the Jefferson Highway in ~Cerro
Gordo County, cost an average OF
$l2s260 per mile for the two years
1918, according to the Service Bulle-
tin OF the Iowa State Highway Com.
mission.
| Concrete road maintenance, in strik.
ing contrast to this, on the Mason City
Clear Lake Road. cost the county. TO,
the 5-year period following 1913, wher
the LIST mile of concrete was laid ar
mile.
| This interesting statement Of com
parative cost of gravel and concrete
road maintenance, was called to the
attention of Iowa supervisors at the
Annual Supervisors convention, held
presented by Supervisor Aaron-Grimm
of the Cerro Gordo County board in re-
ply to statements upon the al
legged prohibitive cost Of concrete
road maintenance made by Supervisor
Fred Randall Of the Story County Board
gravel road maintenance, Mr.. Grimm
stated that after placing the gravel and
maintaining it through the season OF
1917. it was necessary to gravel the
road again in 1918. This was again
maintained at an average cost for the
the 5h miles of $442.98 over the cost
Of the new coating of gravel. At the
present time, Supervisor Grimm states
that the gravel is practically gone from
the road They have given up graveling
it again this year and will maintain It
as a dirt road until next year, when
work will start upon that section of
road as part of federal aid paving pro-
ject.
We spent an average of over $1,000
per mile per year trying to maintain
that as a graveled road and today we
have nothing to show for our money
said the supervisor. I'VE have spent
of $3.50 per mile on our concrete road.
We have had six years use Of the Oldest
mile. Some people have said that it is
cracked and gone to pieces. That isn't So
The road has cracked but it has not gone
to pieces. We are maintaining those
cracks. That's where the expense
comes. The cracks are not becoming
any worse. The concrete slabs show
| very little wear. I see no reason, judy
ing from the condition Of the road to,
day, years after we put it down. that
it should not be good road Is or 20
years from today. I just want to say
to you gentlemen that If any county
| represented here does not want to &C
cept it's federal aid money for hard
surfacing, Cerro Gordo county, If the
Federal and State officials will let us
have the money, will take it match it
and put down paving with it and we
| will Jump at the chance to take every
| dollar of it we can.
The following is the cost data on
| KFFp THEN =Vle0pnllH