The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-10-28
BIG ROAD-BI]ILDING
PROGRAM AHEAD

Fifteen TO twenty Years of build
ing gotod roads lie. ahead Of the
United States. gnders the program
which the country has adopted
there Will be bui1t. during that time.
ISe,, ,,g98 miles of improved high,
wayss which MSills constitute the.
fsderai-aid highway system and an
equal Or greater mileage Of state
and local roads. When the great
job is done, tie transportation ia.
cities of the country will far .ex-.
coed those OF any other nation
past Of present, in the world: The
highways ef the ancient Romans,
whose fame has come down through
the centuries, will pale by. compar7-..
ison. e S .z5s..5 ..5 ...-.,z :. :.
Details Of this vast road building
program are TO be. placed before
the Highway Education Board at
its pferenee. In Washington Oc-
fober 26 to 28, inclusive, by Stat,
Highway Engineers and officials Of
the Bureau Of. Public ROAD. Unit
ed States Department of Agr:cul-
ture, TO whom has been entrusted
the work Of planning and super
vising the construction of federal
aid highways, The plan Bill be.
presented to enable the board TO
proceed aushorftatiNely with It's
work Of deyising aids for schools
and colleges to which oad-buiid :
ers Of the country. are turning for
competent highway engineers.
Of1cfals of the bureau place the
aggregate cost OF the federal-ai6
program alone at about ss,o0o,0e0,-.
600. spread over the twenty-year
period. They base tiisN estimate
on an average cost OF $4,000 per
mile. The average, cost. in turn.
takes into consid deration ali class,
es OF improved roadways from the:
cheapest to the most expensive.
types. Approximately one-third
of the proposed system, or $4,000
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 spe-
.cial regard to a national system.
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
had sought more to meet imme-
date and local demands than the.
broader requirements OF the, states
and nation.
The present federal.aid road.
building program, officials of the
bureau sta.e. will contemplate the
construction Of. only sdch 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 requirements. With
marked notifications the system
adopted in building the railways Of
the country will be borne in mind
in. the construction of the coun-
tryss new highways. There viii be
main lines Of highway comn.uni-
cation between centers and thou.
sands Of miles, of feeder roads,
reaching back into the more
sparsely settled regions and in thu
rich, agricultural sections: 20 tap
areas whose population and pre-
ducts will flow over the new system.
New roads will be planned and
buiIt-thousands of miles Of Them
they viii At in most adran-
eageously with the en.i,e. program.
The bureau is continuing its re-
search work. into most efficient
methods of road-building. includ-
ing the. character and wearing
power of materials, resisting quail
tiles OF varying sub-soils, etc., and
has amassed considerable store OF
valuable information all Of whica
.Till be available for. the high
way engineer tomorrow. whom the
board is seeking to have. educated
in practical and modern methods.
Law on Cotton Stalks?
Iaurens Advertiser).
To overcome all obstacles and to
guarantee coordinated effort on