Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1922-02-08
GOOD ROADS RECORDS
FEATURE STATE WORK
Highway Commissioner Babcock Makes
Public Official Reports of De-
ment Engineers.

Highway Commissioner BabcOck Makes
Public Official Reports of De-
,ment Engineers.
New construction on 1871 miles, re-
shaping and resurfacing over 2,O22
miles and daily patrol or maintenance
on 6,S55 miles of the 7,OOO-mile sys-
tenn of state trunk highways are
among big mileages in review made
today by Charles M. Babcock, state
highway commissioner. Of 1921 opera
lions under Minnesota's new highway
development program.
Confined entirely to work by state
forces on the trunk routes, the COM
missioner's statement alludes to oper-
atoms on the local roads, or secondary
system for which the big part of road
and bridge funds are provided, only in
brief reference to the present move
ment to insure maximum results, for
that money.
Big Gains Listed.
New construction in 1921 includes
765 miles Of grading, compared with
1,499 miles listed as graded when the
state took over the trunk routes, and
497 miles Of gravel-surfacing, against
1871 in previous years. Also, the
state maintenance forces re-shaped
1,137 miles and re-surfaced 1856 miles.
The paved mileage was nearly doubled
100 miles having been added, largely
through county reimbursement pro-
jects, to the total Of 112 miles paved
in previous year combined.
The state highway department last
year used $12,556,S21.79 on it's own
operations on the trunk highway sys-
tenn, besides supervising nearly ST..
600, 900 more work for counties.
The Babcock plan was made effec-
tive April % and therefore was in ac-
tual operation only eight months This
fact was cited by John III. Mullen, dep
uty commissioner and chief highway
engineer, who added that it lends sig
nifcance to the first season showing
Mr.. Mullen said that 1922 funds may
be reduced but the department will at
tempt to make an equal or bigger
showing, taking advantage of reduced
construction costs, lower freight rates
and the results to be obtained by a
more perfect working organization
Commissioner Babcock previously in
timated that only at the end of an
other successful year will the public
gain an idea of benefits to come from
the better roads program.
-'sss7s-1 Local Roads Get Most. - '''''=
The 1921 state trunk highway fund
of $12,556,S2179 represented $685.
1850 of motor vehicle tax revenue.
$2,S40, 10000 of federal highway aid and
S3,10O,7QS.19 of proceeds from county
reimbursement bond sales.
The remaining $6,764 416.01 used un-
der the direction of the highway de.
partment was part of the fund of SOL
O99.323 provided last year for local
roads-other than trunk highways
The large sum for county-town road
work was made up, according to the
state auditors abstract, Of $40 ,S43 ,6Ss
of county, $6,862.60 of township anl
$1,308,794 of small city and village
road and bridge funds and of $2,O84,
287 Of state aid. With more thar
twice as much money provided for 10
cal road purposes as for trunk route
betterments, Commissioner Babcock il
moving to insure maximum benefits
from expenditures on the secondary as
well as the primary highways.
Graphs Divide Dollars.
Graphs showing from where thu
average good roads dollar came an(
how it was used are another feature
of the review. One graph shows tina
the average road dollar is made up Of
SO cents of road and bridge tax funds
used on local roads, and II cents O.
motor vehicle taxes, cents of fedora
aid and - cents of county reimburse
ment bond money-the three trunl
fund sources of revenue. Another pic
lures how So cents Of the, averag
trunk dollar went for new construction
80 cents for maintenance, about 6A
cents for equipment and less than ~
cents for general administration ex
pense. VA. .. r.
Trunk system construction figures
compiled by 0. L. Kipp, chief cor
struction engineer, total SIC, 342, 594.2
of expenditures and many accomplish
ment items run into the millions. Cor
struction outfits during the year NOV
ed 1891 1886 cubic yards of dirt an
gravel. Dumped in a huge containe
covering an average city block 80
feet square with perpendicular walls
the yardage would tower nearly go
feet or more than half mile higl
Mr.. Kippr added, by way of giving a
idea Of the tremendous volume hand
led. Paving built on trunk routes i
1921 would cover 81 city blocks, eac
800 feet square, or surface a 66-foc
city street more than 100 blocks ]
length. ..s35s 81
Main Work Permanent.
ct the average dollar used for ne,
constructio on trunk routes, NJ
Kipp's report discloses, 40 cents wer
into permanent grades to make lastin
foundations for highway surfacin
that future traffic may demand,
cents into gravel surfacing and 261
cents into paving and the remainin
1917 cents for many miscellaneot
items. The paving item carries an e
PLANTATION that about is per cent
the tr1hk highway construction fur
was used for paving and that the 19z
paving mileage was abnormally hie
due to the paving added by counti'