Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-08-18
IMPORTANT ROAD is ONE
| IN FRONT OF YOUR HOME
II. G. Shirley Says Community
Roads Must Connect With Arte-
rial State System.
VALrELEsS IL THEY DO NOT
Hour Has Struck, Speaker Says,
Whcn-I.ifc on the Farm and Com
nunity Life Must BE Improved
I'm Virginia.

Realizing that the most imnortant
III front OF his own house, II. G.
shirley, engineer Of roads, Baltimore
County. Nd. laid stress on the com
munity road along with the great
function and great Waite that the
main arteries play IN the develop
ment Of community. in his address
delivered before the Virginia Good
Roads Association in Roanoke Mr..
Shirley also stressed th. point that
your community roa1 will be Of
little value. except locally. without
the artcrial State system" He said
in part:
IL has been estimated that in most
OF the states IL there were selected
ana constructed from TO 10 Der
cent Of the gross mileage Of the State
II would take care of from so to 40
per cent OF the traffic. and by improv-
ing from 10 to 20 per cent more OF
the community highways, connecting
up with the main State arteries. that
at least from 50 to 90 per cent of he
entire traffic OF the State would be
accommodated
Whit Good Road Saves.
Now what will this mean IN tha
people In dollars and cents? Let me
Illustrate by taking one mile OF I'M
proved highway. having n traffic over
IL Of hfty trucks per day and 800 other
motor vehicles. II was found after a
careful cost Keeping that saving
or *5o per day was effected on the
htty trucks due to the smaller
amount OF gasoline. oil. repairs and
depreciation as compared with an nm
I,,I t,%l,
sou days, about the number truck
runs during the year. will make n
gross amount of $4,000 saved To thi,
should be added the amount saved i'm
operating the 800 other vehicles which
is given at about 500 per year per
vehicle or something like = cents per
mile per vehicle. This would be n
saving OF Sc per day for the 800 We
hicles. and taking 365 days I'm the.
year. gives about $4,000 plus the So
600 saved on trucks would give SILL
700 saved on both. The amount OF
money that an improved road is
worth to the community and State
over an unimproved road annually
having traffic as above. less the cost
of maintenance. which will he about
$boo per mile per year. would be Sl0,-
ooO per mile per year. the net value
OF the Improved road to the people.
II you capitalize this quite n large
amount of money could be raised and
spent for road construction annually
without burden on the people. but
really Il would be n very profitable
investment road having more or
less traffic It's value would be in direct
proportion.
NiuSt Danish Farm Isolation.
| believe II will be we'll before clos
ing to bring to your attention one
more benefit. a benefit I consider al
most above all others. and that is
the enjoyment. comfort and pleasure
that all the people will get out of
these improved roads. There are to-
day people living within sixty to 100
miles OF the national capital who
have never seen It's dome, and
this is due to the bad roads Of their
community. and the few facilities
these communities have to Increase
their wealth.
The time is here when the isolated
community. II 1t has any agricultural
or commercial value. must be. con-
nected up With the centers of pdpula-
ton where there can be a friendly
flow OF communication and exchange
of ideas. The enjoyment and pleas
ure brought to the people OF any COM
munity by the Improvement of It's
highway so that they can travel with
comfort and ease at all seasons Of
the year. visit and attend the many
social functions and theaters in the