The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-07-14
Facts About State Highway
Construction In This District
Commissioner Hart Gives Readers of This Newspaper First
Report on Scope and Progress of Work to Date

Hon. VIM. A. Hart, Com
missioner of the First Con-
struction District of the State
Highway Commission, has
given this newspaper report
of the work accomplished to
date in State Highway Con-
Struction in this district. This
report has not hitherto been
published and contains many
facts of interest concerning
the scope and progress of the
work under Mr.. Hart's direc-
ton. Mr.. Hart says:
"Thc First District comprises the
entire northeastern section of the
State (N. C). and consists of nine
teen counties. as follows: Beaufort
Bprtic Camden. Chowan. Currituck
Dare. Edgccombe. Gates. Halifax.
IIertford. Hyde. Martin. Nash.
Northampton. PasQuotank. Pcrquim-
aus. Pitt. Tyryrcll and Washington
1t lies almost wholly in the Atlan-
ii" Coastal Plain. Slop'ng from IN
elevation of about $40 fl. in the cX-
trcmr western part of Nash Coun-
ty to sea- level. Tarboro. the Dis
trict headquarters. has an elevation
of about 20 feet. This is southwest
of ihr center of the District. but
the eastern counties range from
three to ten or fifteen feet above
sea level. The StrcaSm travcrSlng
the plain. the Pcngo. PamlicO. Tar.
Roanoke. ChOwm. PrrquimamS and
PaSQuotank Rivers are all navigablc
streams the greater part of the way
through the District. The necessary
d"awbridgeS and approaches are
oi the cost of road building in the
District will be- on account of cross
ing these rivers.
THE First District has an area of
S.446 square miles. which lacks on
ly Square of H. miles of equalmg
the areas of the three states of
Rhode Island Delaware and COnncc-
tirut combined. and is IL; per cen;
of the total area of the State Of
North Carolina. 1t contains III
per cent of the population of the
State. and has $50 miles of highway.
or 13.I per cent of the State High
way System. To cover the cost Of
Const uction. IL sum of 81. .434 4.3IJ.OO.
or lis per cent of the fifty million
dollar road bond issue. has been al
lOttcd this District. Prior to the
life of the new Commission there
had been constructed. either by the
State with Federal aid or b. the
Counties. Il total Of about G.J.J miles
OF road with all necessary modern
bridges and Surfacing. which being
deducted from the $50 miles leaves
I64.J miles to be taken care of un-
der the 1921 law. which created the
new Commission.
Several Types of Roads
"Thc first contract awarded under
the new law in this District was let
July q. 1921. in Beaufort County.
the sam" being hard surface pro-
jcct from Washington 20 Martin
County line, Il distance of 1O.5 miles.
which the County. with Gilbert {.
White rs Consulting Engineer. is
constructing under State Supc"vi-
sion. to he reimbursed from Stat"
funds. Since that date and inrud-
ing same. there has been let Il total
Of 2O9 miles of road. about GI miles
Of this being hard surface of the
following types. brick 00.5 milcS,.
penetration macildam (J.9 mileS).
reinforced concrete pavement COZ
miles,. Topeka type asphalt t26.3
miles,. and sheet asphalt (.J miles,.
The cost of these 64 miles of hard
surface road will be approximately
$1,692, 1911 making the average
cost per miles 26,439.49. On all
other roads let to contract total
ing 145 miles, the approximate cost
will be $S21 ,S6S.j2, making the av-
cragr cost per mile $5.6GS.OG This
includes all clearing, grubbing. grad
ing, Surfacng. the greater part of
which is gravel. top soil and sand
clay. and all waterway structures.
which are of reinforced class \ con-
crete.
209 Miles Under Construction
"Thc letting of the 200 miles of
road now under construction called
for 81 different contracts, at IL total
cost of $2,513.996. From this il will
be seen that 2I.4 per cent of our to-
tai mileage has been let at a total
cost of 33.S per cent of. our allotted
funds; but up to May 1st, funds ac-
tually expended to pay for conStruc-
ton were $654. 150.61, or about SIS
rcr cent of allotted funds. This
light expenditure sceminglJ denotes
lack of progress, but great part
of this mileage has been of rcc"ni
letting. about 81 miles having been
let since January list, whica does not
include several contracts for bridges
only. Still it is true that due to the
very bad winter months the contrac-
tors made very slow progress during
that season. Since the spring op-