Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1922-03-09
TAXPAYERS TIRE OF
CONTINUOUS ROUND
IN HIGHWAY REPAIRS
Reshaping and Shoveling Ripped
Material About on ROadbed
Begins to Mean Nothing
Pursues Policy of Sub
stantial Construction to Escape
Maintenance Losses Ohio
Proceeds Along Same Line

The awarding of contracts for 1922
highway construction is proceeding
at a satisfactory rate throughout the
United States, according to advices
received from State Highway Depart
ments by the American Highway
Educational Bureau. From reports
so far received, 1922 promises to be
a record year in reducing the danger
Gus gap between capital invested in
motor vehicles and the amount invest
ed in substantial highway trackage.
In this gan it appears millions of dol
lars are being wasted in the continual
maintenance of unsubstantial road
surfaces under the terrific impact of
an increasing number of motor vehi-
cles. Among the states that are
seeking to eliminate excessive main
tenance, Pennsylvania assumes a
froemost1 position this week in pro-
posals for substantial construction.
On February %, bids will be opened
at Harrisburg for new construction
on state projects in fourteen counties.
In twelve of these counties, reinforc-
ed concrete is called for in state
specifications. In the two remaining
counties concrete foundations are
specified with either bituminous or
concrete wearing surfaces.
On March /, fourteen more state
rejects are to be started, eleven of
and these either bituminous or con-
crete wearing surface on a concrete
foundation.
New Jersay called for reinforced
concrete on one state highway route
on February Is and calls are out for
similar construction on another state
project. =
The. policy of substantial construc-
ton rs the only certain method by
which highway funds may be used to
the permanent beenfit of taxpayers,
and motor vehicle owners who are
contributing to load construction in
license fees, appears to be spreading
throughout the country More than
ever the road using public seems less
inclined to take general road con-
struction reports at their face value.
Mere boasts as to mileage construct
ed is beginning to count for nothing
unless that mileage means that real
roads have been built roads that
will last. Simply re-shaping a road
or shoyeling material back into place
after It, has been loosened by traffic
has come to mean nothing to the tax
payer beyond revealing the fact that
continuous performance in highway
repairs is as ludicrous as it is expen-
sive.
| I,n H.. 14ak
I department has inaugurated deter.
mined policy of substantial construc.
ton on main routes to insure safe in
vestment of highway funds, great
progress is being made in letting con.
tracts for an early start on construc.
tion. 1t is expected that the projects
for his year will be well under way By
April Is.
Some attempts have been made ir
Ohio, as in other States, to check the
program for substantial roads by is
!, suing cost comparisons to show thai
: road building is far from the pre-wal
level. In these comparisons it i.
noted that neither width, thickness
! nor drainage is taken into account
: the result being half truths of /.
: character not designed to convey cor
I, rect. information to the taxpaying ant
road using public.
A feature of marked significance, a
] states are about to enter into con
struction for the new season, and on
: which bodies well for the taxpayini
; public, appears to be exemplifed il
{ an inclination on the part of highwa
officials to seek public approval b,
paying more heed to good construc
tion and less heed to ill-informe
political advice of the vote-catchinI
? type.
overlooked is the fact that one ston
mani in Toledo admitted that it wa
not safe to build stone roads on mai
market highways. He said: "W
promote the selling of our materis
and we can sell more when macadar
roads are built, but, with traffic in
creasing as much as it has in the pas
ten years, heavier and more har
service roads have got to be bull
There are different conditions exist
ing and different roads should be bui
to comply with them. Some road
should be graveled, as they do not n
quire as heavy traffic, and will las
Just as well But where traffic
heavy, there is only one way to saw
the taxpayers money and that is I
build hard surfaced roads"
This man is broad minded and ca