The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-09-01
A STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM


Ten years hence, in gliding over
hard surfaced road between any one
county or large city in Missouri and
any other county or populous center
of the state, the road booster of today
will have forgotten the turmoil, fight
ing, disappointment and actual or
fancied wrongs that were committed
by the state and county road officials
in this, the pioneer, period of the
highway and construction age of Mis-
souri,.
1t matters not at the present or any
future time whether you drive over a
gravel surfaced road or the highest
type pavement known SO long as it is
a 365-day properly constructed road.
The term properly constructed"
refers to type of road that will take
care of the traffic requirements and
the scientific and honest administra-
| ton of the vast road fund now avail
able in Missouri will not permit or
tolerate the construction of type OF
road that will not be in harmony with
the amount of work that it is expected
to do. In other words, it would be a
waste of money and engineering folly
to approve the construction of grav-
ell or light type road where the traf-
fic requirements demand higher type
pavement. Neither can an engineer
or road official justify the construc.
ton of an expensive paved road
where the traffic demands may eco
nomically be served by gravel sur
face or some lighter type construction.
Experience of recent years has
taught US that lighter type Of con-
struction becomes more expensive than
higher type pavement under the
heavy traffic to be found near the
populous centers or on the main trav-
eled cross state highways.
1t is not the purpose Of the publish
ers of the Missouri Construction News
either to approve or condemn the rec
ommendation of the State Highway
Engineers with reference to the To-
cation of the 1900 miles of higher type
roads of Missouri at this or any other
time. We do not envy them nor their
work, and whether or not their recon-
mendation is entitled to the general
approval of the public they are at
least entitled to sympathy as no en-
gineer or organization of men can To-
cate 1900 miles of primary roads in
| Missouri in such manner as to satisfy
all communities or sections of the
state.
However, every community and
fair minded citizen of Missouri should
know that eventually some one must
say where these roads are to be To-
Gated and their decision must be final.
We have the greatest admiration and
respect for the good roads booster who
will fight when he thinks he has been
wronged, provided he will act at the
proper time, and we believe that this
is the proper time for every man to
say what he thinks, but hope that
those who feel that way live in the
less favored localities will prove to be
good losers and cooperate with the
state and county officials for the sue
cess of program that will eventually
Gift Missouri out of the mud"
More than $100,000,000 will be
available for the construction of state
roads alone during the next ten years,
and the present law provides that none
of this money shall be expended on a
type of road that will not take care
OIL LHG eSLlilldIcu IId1llS lCHuil ChCh1oi
and designates the minimum type OF
construction as we'll drained, pro-
perry graded and gravel surfaced road
For the benefit of those who are not
familiar with this type of construction
we point with pride to the picture on
our front cover page of gravel sur
faced section of old Gravois Road in
Jefferson county, Missouri, which rep
resents typical section of the lowest
type of construction that would be &C.
cepted under the proper administration
of the provisions of the present state
road law.
A road of this type, under light
traffic and proper maintenance, will
render a 1865 day per year service
equally as many years as the highest
type of pavement known when sub.
jected to the terrific strain of the
traffic near the populous centers, and
under the proper maintenance the
higher type will be equally Us good
twenty years hence as it is today. uE
to the present time the same cannot
be said Of any of the higher type
pavements.
This is not an argument against any
type of pavement, but rather a sug.
gestion to the people of Missouri that
they are taking the practical type OF
construction designated for the re-
spective localities entirely too serious
ly, as their interest should be not ir
whether the road in front of their door
is to be called state primary, feder'
I 4 InNa hNNt