South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-10-21
Big ROAD BUILDING
PROGRAM Is AHEAD
Many Thousand Miles of I'm
proved Highway to Facili-
tate Transportation.

Fifteen 10 20 years Of building
good roads lie ahead OF the United
States Under the program which
the country has adopted there viii
be built. during that time, 10000
miles Of improved highways which
will constitute the federal aid high
way system and an equal or greater
mileage Of state and local roads
When the great job is done, the
transportation facilities Of the coun-
try will far exceed those of ans
other nation, past or present. in the
world. The highways Of the an
cient Romans, whose fame has come
down through the centuries, VIII
pale by comparison.
Details OF this vast road building
program are TO be placed before the
highway education board at its cor
ference in washington. Oct. % 10 IS.
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 plan
ming and supervising the construc-
ton of federal aid highways. The
plan will be presented 10 enable the
board to proceed authoritatively
with its work Of devising aids for
schools and colleges 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
program alone at about $4,000 O00,-
600. spread over the 2O-year period.
They base this estimate on an av-
erage cost Of ST. 600 per mile. The
average cost, IN turn, takes into
consideration all classes Of improved
roadwaye from the cheapest 20 the
most expensive types Approximate
" one-third Of the proposed system,
or $4,000 miles of improved high
ways. already are either built or
building
The program IS a new one. Up 20
comparatively recent years. ROAD
building IN the United States had
been conducted without special re-
gard TO a national system High
ways had been constructed where
needed without considering whether
they would link up IN the most ef-
fec+ive manner with the whole net
work OF roads 10 be spread over
tho nation. Engineers had sought
more 20 meet immediate and local
demands than the broader require
ments OF the states and nation
The present federal aid road
building program, officials Of the bu
reau state. viii contemplate the
construction OF only such roads AZ
1T into the national program and
contribute 20 the national system.
At the same time the roads Will be
so selected as 10 serve the most i'm
portant local requirements With
marked notifications. the system
adopted IN building the railways OF
the country VIII be borne In mind
in the construction OF the country's
new highways There viii be main
lines OF Highway communication
between centers and thousands OF
miles OF feeder roads. reaching back
into the more sparsely settled re-
rions and into the rich agricultural
sections. TO tap areas whose popu-
lation and products VIII flow over
he new system.
New roads viii be planned and
built-thousards % miles OF them
where they will TT n most advan
tageously with the entire program
The bureau IS continuing its re-
search work into most efficient
methods OF road building including