The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1922-10-17
BIG ROAD BUILDING PROGRAM

good roads lie before the United
States. Under the program which
the country has adopted there will
be built, during that time, 10000
miles of improved highways which
constitute the federal aid highway
system and an equal or greater mile
age of state and local roads. When
the great job is done, the transporta-
ton facilities of the country will far
exceed those of any other nation,
past or present, in the world. The
highways of the ancient Romans,
whose fame has come down through
the centuries, will pale by compari.
son.
Details of this vast road building
program are to be placed before the
highway education board at it's con-
ference In Washington October 26 to
2S, inclusive, by state highway engi
neers and officials of the bureau of
public roads, United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, to whom has
been entrusted the work of planning
and supervising the construction of
federal aid highways. The plan will
be presented to enable the board to
proceed authoritatively with it's work
of devising aids for schools and col
leges to which road builders of the
country are turning for competent
highway engineers.
Officials of the bureau place the
aggregate cost of the federal aid pro-
gram alone at about $4,000, 900, 900,
spread over the 2O-year period. They
base their estimate ON an average
cost of $4,000 per mile. The average
cost, in turn, takes into consideration
all classes of improved roadways
from the cheapest to the most ex-
pensive types. Approximately one
third of the proposed system, or co.
900 miles of improved highways, al
ready are either built or building.
The program is a new one. Up to
comparatively recent years, road
building in the United States had
been conducted without special re-
gard to national system. Highways
had been constructed where needed
without considering whether they
would link up in the most effective
manner with the whole network of
roads to be spread over the nation
Engineers have sought more to meet
immediate and local demands than
the broader requirements of the
states and nation.
The present federal aid road-build-
ing program, officials of the bureau
state, will contemplate the construc.
tion of only such roads as fit into the
national program and contribute to
the national system. At the same
time the roads will be so selected as
to serve the most important local de-
quirements. With marked modifica-
tions, the system adopted in building
the railways of the country will be
borne in mind in the construction of
the country's new highways. There
will be main lines of highway CON-
between centers and
thousands of miles of feeder roads,
reaching back into more sparsely set
tied regions and into the rich agri-
cultural sections, TO tap areas whose
population and products viii flow
over the new system.
New roads will be planned and
built-thousands of miles OF them
where they viii fit in most advanta-
seously with the entire program. The
bureau IL continuing its research
work into most efficient methods OF
bodybuilding. including the charao-
ter and wearing power Of materials,
qualities Of varying sub
soils, etc, and has amassed a con-
siderable store Of valuable informa-
ion all OF which will be available for
he highway engineer TO tomorrow.
whom the board is seeking TO have
educated In practical and modern |