Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-10-21
BIG ROAD BUILDING
PROGRAM AHEAD

fifteen 10 lWeHl! years OF buiulHb
good roads lie ahead Of the United
States. Under the program which
the country has adopted there will be
built, during that time, 10000 miles
of improved highways which will con
stitute the Federal-aid highway sys-
TEN and an equal on greater mileage
of State and local roads. When the
great job is done, the transportation
facilities of the country will far eX-
coed those of any other nation. past
or present. in the world. The high
ways of the ancient Romans, whose
fame has come down through the
centuries, will pale by comparison.
Details of this vast bodybuilding
program are to be placed before the
Highway Education Board at its con
ference in Washington October 20 to
rs, inclusive, by State Highway Engi-
neers and officials Of the Bureau OF
Public Roads, United States Depart
mcnt of Agriculture, to whom has
been entrusted the work of planning
and supervising the construction of
Federal-aid highways. The plan will
be presented to enable the Board to
proceed authoritatively with its work
of devising aids for schools and col
lercs to which road-bulderS 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 .000,O
spread over the twenty-ycar period.
They base this estimate on an aver
age cost of $1,000 per mile The
average cost. in turn, takes into CON
sheraton all CLASSES of improved
roadway, from the cheapest to the
most expensive types Approximate
~ e-third of the proposed system,
or 10000 miles Of improved high
ways, already ere either built or
building.
The program is 4 new one. Up tol
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 cifec-
tive manner with The whole network
of roads to be spread over the Ma
ton. Engineers had sought more to
meet immediate and local demands
than the broader requirements of the
States and nation.
The present Federal-aid road-bulld-
ing program. officials Of the bureau
state. will contemplate the construc-
ton OF only such roads As fit into
Tie national program and contribute
to thc national system. At the same
time the roads will be so selected rs
to serve the most important local re-
quirements. With marked modiiica-
tons. 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 COM
munication between centers and
of miles Of feeder roads,
reaching back into the more sparsely
settled regions and into the rich agri-
cultural sections. to tap areas whose
population and products will flow
over the new system.
New roads will be planned and
huilt-thousand of miles of them
where they will fit in most advan-
with the entire program.
The bureau is continuing its research
work into most efficient methods of
matchmaking, including the character
and wearing power of materials, re-
sisting qualities of varying subsoils,
etc, and has amassed n considerable
store of valuable information all of
which will be available for the high
way engineer Of tomorrow, whom the
Board is seeking to have educated in
practical and modern methods.
lit IS to he hoped that Maryland
will come in for a good share Of this
road program.-EdS.l