The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-05-03
MINNESOTA REPORTS
BIGGEST ROAD YEAR
GREAT PROGRESS IN HIGHWAY
DEVELOPMENT IN 1922 AC-
CORDING TO FIGURES
FUND USES DETAILED
TRUNK ROUTE IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM MORE THAN HALF
COMPLETED

Minnesota trunk highway improve
ments last year included 1921 miles
of grading, 1885 miles of graveling,
lat miles of paving and 1876 new
bridges, exclusive of betterments
from maintenance operations extend
ing over the entire 7,000-mile trunk
highway system. The figures are
from the annual report of Charles M.
Babcock, state highway commissioner
which is being circulated this week.
New progress records made on
state highway work are said to be
equalled or exceeded by those on sec
ondary or local roads throughout the
state. although only partial compila-
lions of reports by county and town.
ship road officials are available. re-
heved of the heavy expense of i'm
proving and maintaining the main
highways which formerly took an av-
erage of 80 per cent of the road and
bridge funds, it was explained, count
les are left with five times as much
money with which to push local road
betterments.
Highway officials said that 1922
was a high record year of highway
development in Minnesota. Failure
of the highway bond proposals in the
recent legislature, as already made
plain, means that the 1922 progress
on the trunk system will not be ap-
preached this year or next, the large
part of available funds to be taken
for upkeep and repairs and little to
be left for further improvements.
70 LOTT "a
new state highway program is shown
totals listed by counties when the
trunk highways were turned ovessto
the state. The state in two years has
spread improvements measuring s.
OILS miles, compared to 1886 miles
reported as improved when counties
were relieved of the responsibility for
the trunk routes.
The summary follows:
Miles At Start New Plan Total
Graded, 1899 2,267 \ s,766
Paved, &c $50 416
In addition, there has been much
new bridge construction, state main
tenance forces reshaped 982 miles
and surfaced 804 miles and patrol
forces carried early good roads bene-
fits to every part of the big system.
Although less than 1000 miles of
the 1000 miles of trunk highways
are completely improved, surfacing
doubling on the grading, a conserya-
tive estimate is that the state high
way program is more than half finish
ed.
- h. h .rrt,
way report is a showing that more
than three-fourths of the money used
on the state trunk highways under
the new plan has been county reim-
bursement bond funds and federal
aid.
The Good Roads Amendment No. 1
principle was one for state highway
system to be improved without regard
to county or other lines. A legislative
trend in the opposite direction is dis
closed by the figures and its continu-
ance in the extension of the county
reimbursement bond law and the
failure of the trunk highway bond
bill in the recent session.
The requirement that reimburse
ment funds be used in the counties
issuing the bonds has resulted in
much disconnected improvement on
the system. A further tendency is to
increase the mileages of paving,
county boards urging use of bond
funds for hard-surfacing because
other improvements may be looked
for under the regular state program.
The commissioners report makes
no direct comment on these matters
but they are plainly apparent from
the tabulations.
Use of average highway dollars ex-
banded last year is given in several
tabulations.
Of the average dollar of income,
66.5 cents went into new construction
27.3 cents into maintenance, 4.S
cents for equipment and Ia cents for
general administration expenses.
Division of the construction dollar
follows: grading, 308 cents; gravel
ing 22.6 cents; paving 23.5 cents
bridges, culverts, etc., 1873 cents and
many other items such as clearing,
guard rails, etc., 4.8 cents.
Use of the average dollar expended
for maintenance is shown in two
ways-by class of work and by COM
modify. Division by work shows: pa
troll cost sos cents: repairs and re-
placements 23.4 cents; betterments
1873 cents, office and field expenses
7.8 cents and special items AZ cents.
Labor took 1877 cents of the average
maintenance dollar, according to the
second distribution and of the re-
mainder 15.5 cents for general opera
ton items and 7.8 cents for materials.
b
Mile costs of state trunk highway
improvements averaged the lowest OF
record in the 1922 figures given in
the report. Grading was contracted
at an average of $1,000 a mile, $420
more than in 1921 but less in con-
sideration of larger percentages OF