The Washington times., 1921-12-18
'R0ADc0nTRACT
AVERAGE IN Va.
| ONLY S|X MILES
Commissioner Coleman Says
State Loses Money by Build
Ing PiecemeaI.

~ -AOANop va, DeC. IL no
average mileage Of contracts for road
construction on the State Highway
system In Virginia under way at pres
ent, II six miles according to digest Of
the report Of State Highway Commits
sioner, George p. Coleman to Governor
Davis. This Ia in contrast to the
three and two-thirds miles average Of
1s20 and five mile average Of the fis-
cal year ending September 80. 1921,
Even an average of six miles per
contract is considered piece-meaI con.
etruction by the State Highway Com
mission. costing the State more per
mile to build with greater inspection
ana engineering expense per mile than
IL would cost II the State was in q
poauon to let larger contracts.
Plan Ii Costly.
When asked an explanation as to
Why tho State Highway Commission
did not make the ALLEGATION SO that
larger contracts could be awarded, IN
asmuch al the State Highway Com
mission and the Commissioner recog-
mixes that It Is costing the State more
mohey to build by piece-meal than III
letting large contracts for continuous
sections Of State Highway, the Com
missioner stated that the limited finan-
ces of the State for road building is
the general answer. "Operating under
the present financial plan." explained
the Commissioner, 1T will require
from sixteen to eighteen years to CON-
plete our State Highway System as
now constructed. The members OF
the State Highway Commission con-
ceived i'd to be their primary duty to
get the traffic, over the road. In
deciding on the projects to be i'm
proved. tho State Highway Commis-
sion has selected the worst sections to
improve first. When the State High
way Department took over the State
System rs designated by the General
Assembly Of 1918. it included many
short disconnected sections of ROAD
which had previously been CONSTRUCTED
by counties. In many instances these
sections themselves were narraw and
much Of It had gone to pieces entirely
on account Of lack of maintenance.
In three years the State Highway
Department has not been able to re-
place all Of these bad sections on a
State highway system of $500 miles
end at the same time reclaim the In
vestments made by tho counties In the
short sections taken over by resur-
facing and widening these roads into
through routes. This, with the knowl-
edge that It will be from sixteen to
eighteen years to construct the entire
State highway system often prevents
the department from including the re-
construction Of q section Of highway
which can be kept in good travelable
condition for q year or 30 by proper
enaintenance. Notwithstanding the fact
That such action would add to the
mileage of q contract.
Better Method.
Commissioners Coleman said that the
work of the highway commission
would be much easier II the limited
funds available were placed on one,
two or three through highways Of the
State and these roads completed
throughout. The inspection and en-
cheering costs as well as the price
per mile would be lower and the work
Of the department more concentrated.
This plan of giving preference to
these roads would work a hardship on
the section Of the State which might
not be reached for sixteen or eighteen
years. "If the next General Assembly
win initiate the financing of q pro-
gram which will permit the compile
h ton of the system in six or seven
years, IT will be possible to let con-
tracts much larger than we are able
to let today. and thereby save from
$500 to $500 per mile. This saving
b in addition to the value of trans
portation service which the early COM
pletion Of the State highways will
mako possible.