The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1921-12-02
ALL STATES WILL RECEIVE
FEDERAL AID FOR ROADS.
VIII Provide Work for Quarter Mil
lion Men to Build Thousands of
Miles of Improved Highways.

MIIeS OI iupTONtu highways.
Seventy-fve million dollars be-
comes available as Federal aid for
States, the money to be spent under
the supervision of the Bureau of Pub
lie Roads, Department of Agriculture,
under the Federal highway act, sign
ed November 8, by the President. In
addition, S15,000,000 is appropriated
for national forest roads. The $751;
100000 represents the Federal Gov
ernments appropriation to the work
of building highways in the various
States and must be matched, dollar
for dollar, by funds from the State
treasures, except in States where
more than per cent of the area is
unappropriated public land.
, Part of Money Now Available.
The S75,000,000 appropriated is for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1922,
and .S25,000O00 of the sum is avail
able Immediately, the balance be-
coming available on January l, 1922
Of the appropriation of $15,000,000
I for the improvement of national
forest roads S5,00000O made available
for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1922, and S10,000,000 for the follow
ing year.
The Federal highway act in a gen.
eral way resembles the Federal aid
act of 1916, but contains several new
features. Administration Of the act
by the Secretary of Agriculture, and
under him the Bureau of Public
Roads, remains unchanged.
Apportionment of the fund to the
States is almost the same as in the
previous act, the fund being divided
into three parts, l part apportioned
according to population, according
to area, and l part according to mile
age of rural and star mail routes. A
new feature is the stipulation that no
State shall receive less than one
half of l per cent of the total fund
which, in this case, amounts to $685.
625. This stipulation will increase
the amount received by of the
smaller States, i. e., Delaware, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Yer
mont.
Change I'm Use of State AllOtments.
There is considerable change, how
ever, in the manner in which a State
may use it's allotment. Each State
must select a connected road system
not exceeding per cent of its road
mileage for improvement with Fede-
raj aid. This system will be divid-
ed into two CLOSES, one of which will
be known as the interstate highways
and the other as the intercounty
highways. The interstate highways
must not exceed three-sevenths of the
system selected; on them not more
than 60 per cent of the States allot-
ment can be spent without the Joint
approval of the Secretary of Agri-
culture and the State highway de-
partment. The intercounty highways,
which consist of the remainder of the
system selected, will receive the re-
mainder of the States allotment.
Except in States where more than
per cent of the area is unappropri-
ated public land, the amount of
Federal aid received on any project
must not exceed so per cent of the
estimated cost. In States where more
than per cent of the area is I'M
appropriated public land the 80 per
amount equal to one-half the per-
centage of tnappropriated public
land in the State. Before any funds
can be paid to a State, the State
must appropriate money, under the
direct control Of the State highway
to match the Federal
allotment, and for the maintenance !,
of Federal-aid highways.
All highways in the interstate |
system must have a surfaced width
of at least Is feet, unless a narrower
width is deemed permissible by the !
Secretary of Agriculture. In case a
Federal-aid highway is not properly .
by State, the State will +
be given 80 days notice by the de- ,
partment; at the end of that time if .
the highway is not in good condition
of maintenance the Secretary of .
Agriculture will maintain it out of
the States allotment and refuse to
approve any new projects until reim-
bursement is made by the State.
What the new appropriation will
mean to the country can be judged by
the use to which the S275,000,000 .
appropriated has been put,
according to officials of the United
States Department of Agriculture.
PraCtlcally SZUU,UUU,uOU OF JnaJ InOHeN
has been put to work in projects
which are either entirely completed
or now under construction. The exact
amount was S199,S23,427 on October
81. To match this amount the States
have appropriated S265, $4,000, max
ing a total of S465, 352,517.
The roads to be paid for by this
money. if placed end to end, would
encircle the earth and extend from
New York to San Francisco on the
second lap, the total mileage of the
roads under construction and COM
pleted being reported by the Bureau
IF Public Roads as $4,000 miles on
October 81. Of this mileage, 1855
miles is in projects which are entire 7
" completed and the contractors
The balance Of 17,445
miles is in projects which are still
lnder construction, but which were
g per cent complete on October 81.
In these projects there is therefore
he equivalent of 10000 miles of COM
,leted road. so that the completed