The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1921-04-29
STATE ROAD PLANS
ARE IN JEOPARDY
Failure Feared If Townsend
Act Supercedes Fed
eral Aid Law.

|
eral aid highway system in Ken
lucky, involving a ten years pro-
gramme of construction and $40, 0O0,-
900 expenditure, is feared by Joe S.
Boggs, State Highway Engineer, if
the Townsend Federal Highway Com
mission Act supplants the present
/ system of extending aid to the States.
In that event construction of the
State highway system, as laid out by
the 1920 General Assembly, will be-
come a strictly State construction pro-
ject, which will require immediate
financing.
The Court of Appeals has applied
the Constitutional Limitation on State
Indebtedness to advances made by
counties to the Highway Department,
holding that such advances are debts
of the Commonwealth within the
meaning of the Constitution and must
not total more than 100000 beyond
the estimated current years reve-
nues.
After that decision the State High
way Commission declined to accept
any more advances, but is offering to
accept for maintenance roads con-
structed with county funds.
Under the present plan of construc-
ton of Federal aid highways, the
Federal Government contributes half
the cost of construction, and the State
and counties the other half. The Gov
eminent has available and appropri-
,ated to designated setbacks $780,
600.
Two unexpected setbacks caused re-
vision of tentative plans the last year.
The first one came from Washington,
when the last Congress failed to ap-
propriate any more money for Fed
eral aid. The Bureau of Highways
thought 1t was a certainty. The
House passed the measure, but SEN
ator Townsend of the Post Roads
Committee, author of bill to lay out
a system of Federal built and main
tanned highways, killed it in the Sen
ate.
The next setback was the construc-
ton of the law, permitting counties to
advance money to the State for the
building of the State highway sys-
tenn, which money was to have been
paid back to the counties when the
project. to which the money was APP
piled, was completed.
Some 800 miles of construction has
been started on the Federal aid sys-
tenn, but if the Townsend Bill passes
this mileage is all that will get Fed
eral aid, and then it will be up to the
General Assembly to devise some
method of financing the remainder
and the other State system projects.
According to the stipulations with
the Federal Bureau of Highways, the
State Highway Department takes ov-
er for maintenance this work when
completed, and the State is taking ov-
err old State aid projects as fast as
counties repair the road, according
to state specifications. Thus far the
State has acquired about zoo miles,
several counties are at work on their
main pixies and these with Federal
aid probably will put in the hands Of
the department by next spring Geo
miles.
The State is paying out to counties
100000 annually to reimburse them
for money odvanced under the old
State ail law, and this with the
n aintenance of 600 miles will ex-
haust the greater part of the State
road funds as now provided for. I'm
less adequate funds are provided for
carrying OUT the programme pre-
pared by the 1920 General Assembly,
hy 1928 the State Highway Depart
ment will have to be reduced TO a
bookkeeper and few .ma.ntenanee
engineers.
Considering that this is the first
year of the reorganized department
Mr. Boggs declares that the highway
programme with Federal aid and
county cooperation has not broken
down thus far, and he is Of the opin-
ion that no more roads could haye
been bun or more money economical
ly expended had there been a huge
road fund available, Preceding eon-
struetion there must be surveys mi
plans and specifications, not only for
roadways, hut for bridges Federal
approval must be obtained and N
many instances rights OF way acquir-