Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-09-18
Interest of Govt
In Road Construction

(By T.. w. James, Aulel, olFlSlou u
Design, Bureau Of Public Roads.)
In this country WEI do not consider
the Government as distinct from the
people. We do not wish conditions
to arise that will lead us ever to think
of these two as separated. So when
we speak of the interest of the Gov
eminent in. road construction we
naturally have in mind the interests
of the citizenship of our nation. The
point of view of the Government is,
however, different from yours or
mine; different from the farmers
point of view, different from the view
taken by the automobile user and
motor truck manufacturer. Each one
of these has an interested, personal,
or group attitude toward road build
ing. The Government, on the. other
hand, tries to unite all those interests
into one, to adopt composite point
of view and to direct the endeavors
of a great many separate agencies
toward the same, most helpful and
reasonable ends.
1t is entirely fitting, indeed, it is
necessary that the Government as
sumo this duty. For under the FORM
er condition of separate endeavor,
uncorrelated and disconnected, 1T is
not too radical to declare that in some
ways road building was actually re-
tarded. and it is we'll within the facts
to say that mistakes were made that
mo
When the county commissioner. OF
the town selectman or even the state
politician could and did designate
where, when, and often how a road
should be built results were usually
unsa satisfactory. Connected construc-
ton was not common except in the
richest towns or countries; the bene-
fits of good transportation facilities
were not realized early enough in the
construction program; and more
costly than these to the general de-
yelopment of highway construction
and transportation, roads were often
built on locations and according to
designs that were not good. Much
money has been subsequently spent
on these roads until today they rep
resent an investment that any. COM
munity is loath to discard.
In effect we have erected a costly
monument to the errors of our COM
munity road builders, and we shall
continue to travel dangerous and
excessive curvature and climb I'M
necessary and annoying grades until
happily, in the future. all the abut-
ting owners of land shall die at the
game time and the necessary and de-
sirable changes in location and grade
can be made.
The conditions I refer to will be
recalled by some of you as applying
to Maine in some small degree, when,
a number of years ago, Professor
Files christened the wiggle-worm map
which represented road improvement
in your state at that time.
Now, do not mean to say that the
old system of local road building was
out of place, entirely useless. or any
such thing. 1t had distinct place.
it represented the local idea in road
building, the citizen got direct relief.
The distribution of funds may not
have been altogether equitable, errors
of judgment were made, the road pro-
gram was in third speed, so to speak
But those conditions served pur-
pose. They. at least for us today,
point clearly to the contrast existing
between the localized and the gen.
eralzed plan of road improvement.
Those conditions represent clearly
and extremely the point of view of
the town on one hand in contrast
with that of the Government on the
other.
The interest OF the Government in
highway construction is general and
national in it's scope and point-of
view. The Government aimed first,
as is clear from the legislative action
of Congress. to direct each state
toward a selection of a limited mile
age of highways OF first importance
which should be continuous with
other similar highways in adjacent
states. After that. provision is made
for a secondary system. of slightly
greater mileage, which shall be con-
n>lhnA u-ifh tho urinary roads and