Smyrna times., 1921-02-16
DELAWARE ROAD BUILDING
EXAMPLE TO OTHER STATES
STATE is REGARDED UNIQUE IN
IT'S METHOD OF BUILDING
Engineering News-RecOrd Finds Much
To Admire in the Delaware Sys-
tenn of Building and Maintaining


tenn of Building and Maintaining
Delaware is unique in the develop
ment of a State system of highways
according to the Engineering News
Record, a technical journal devoted to
engineering and contracting, in its is
sue of January 27. The State is pc
culiar in it's position as regards high
way construction. 1t is on the direct
line of traffic from the lower end of
the Delmarvia peninsula to Philadel-
phia. Accordingly roads have been
constructed with view to providing
hard surfaces for thorough traffic ruI
ming closely to the towns as far as
possible but avoiding passing direct
ly through them in order to escape
the congestion that comes in congest-
ed centers, the article, written in tech
nical style, goes on to state. The
highway system has been devised,
therefore, to provide for this thorough
traffic and for subsidiary highways
connecting these highways with the
sections on both sides. There are two
lines of highway south from Dover,
although only one direct line south
as far as that point. The type of road
construction adopted was concrete.
The reason for use of this material is
that Delaware is a rural State, about
go per cent. of its population lying
outside Wilmington in towns of less
than 500 people. Rail communica-
tions are limited and motor truck traf-
fic over good roads is easy to such
market centers as Wilmington, Balti-
more, Washington and Philadelphia.
Concrete Found Durable Material.
The State has little commercial
stone and the average materials haul
is about 100 miles. Concrete was the
most durable type of road surface and
though expensive it was adopted be-
cause it could be hauled more quickly
and cheaply as other materials. The
State Highway department built its
first roads in 1918. In 1918, 1919 anG
1920 it constructed Sc miles of con-
crete road, 6.3 miles of brick road and
10 miles of bituminous macadam, a
total of 154 miles contracted for of
which 124 miles are concrete. Various
experiments have been carried out by
the State Highway department in de-
teTmining the proper manner of mix
ing and laying the concrete with the
result that every road laid down has
been built with the knowledge that
the specifications were the best posi-
bic under the circumstances. Certain
broad principles of construction have
been maintained. The arrangement of
the roads provides that through traffic
shall never interfere with local traffic
There have been adopted straight
alignment, fiat curves and low gradi-
ents and wide rights of way.
DUPONT Highway Through Delaware
Authorization by the General As
sembly prior'to 1917 of a law permit
ting construction of highways by pri-
vate citizens has resulted in the build
ing of the DUPONT highway by a cor
poration organized by T. Coleman du
Pont. The idea here is that the cor
poration shall construct the road and
turn it over to the State for mainte-
nance. Money for construction Of the
roads is provided from receipts of au-
tomobile taxes and from the State in
come tax in excess of $250,000. Dur
ing the war there was some money
available from the State income tax
but since then the receipts have failed
to exceed eL00,OO0. From these re-
ceipts, the State must set aside $3.50
a mile for the maintenance of roads
already built. Expenses of admins
tration of the State highway depart
ment are then budgeted and the re-
manning money is available for con-
struction purposes. During 1917 $84,-
900 came from the automobile tax
fund. In 1918 this was increased to
$4,000, in 1919 to. $286,000 and in
1920 up to December, to $330,000. In
the past this money has been used 70
finance bond issues. So far $2,100,O0O
for forty-year sinking fund issue have
been sold and S5O0,vvU more in bonds
advertised. Thus the State is allowed
to proceed on much larger scale o.
construction than it would if the au-
tomobile funds were available only
from year to year.
State Has Over 800 Miles Of Highway
Delaware has undertaken no spe-
cific mileage to build in order to get
a State highway system. Roads re-
ouiring construction are built and as
constructed are added to the system,
which now includes approximately 300
miles of highway. Highways con-
structed also by State aid are, when
completed, added to the system,
though part of the maintenance cost
is paid by the county in which the
roads are located. The sum of $780,