Smyrna times., 1923-12-05
EIGHTY-EIGHT MILES OF STATE
HIGHWAY FINISHED SINCE MAY
DELAWARE FORGING TO FRONT
FOR THE MOST MODEL ROADS
In the SO Miles Just Completed, Ma
terial Enough Was Used, if Placed
on Cars, to Make Train IS Miles

terial Enough Was Used, if Placed
on Cars, to Make Train IS Miles
The highways completed during 1923
by the Highway Commission of Della
ware and the expeditions manner of
doing the work, has made it the most
successful year in the history of that
Commission.
During the working year, which
started late because of the Legisla-
ture failing to pass the appropriation
bill until in April, the start made was
much later than usual. The work was
begun on May p and since then, until
November Is, So miles of highways
were built through Delaware. In the
year previous, 1922, the work was be-
gun on March q and continued until
November Is when but IA miles of
highways were constructed.
An item of 1882, ,750.81 represents
the amount saved on concrete during
this year through the efficiency of the
personnel of the engineering staff of
the Highway Commission of which c.
Douglas Buck is the head. This re-
presents a saving of about $4,000 a
mile. In addition to this economy,
in the coming year about $4,000 a mile
will be saved in the preparation of the
foundation for concrete highways thru
the use of Stag instead of crushed |
stone. Besides this the engineering |
costs have been reduced to a mini
mum.
One important feature that others |
outside of the Highway Department |
do not realize is, that when a con-
tractor does not complete his contract |
to build highways within the speci-
fed time, the excess time that this
contractor has occasion to use an en-
gineer and inspector of the State |
Highway Department, is paid for by
the contractor and is no expense to
the State.
In the building of the SO miles of
highways this year there were con-
sumed 4,3O0 carloads of stone, 2,16O
carloads of sand, 1850 carloads of ce-
ment. If the material had been plac-
ed in freight cars it would have made
train rs miles long. Take the item
of cement used alone. If the cement
had been piled on the historic Dover
Green in front of the State House, it
would have mounted a height of 62
feet, using every inch of the Green.
How Delaware Compares With Others
The Highway Department attained
irrb ,,Oinf of of6oiopnvr Jt1,i v,rr
three weeks in October. For these
three weeks the department construct
ed 6 1-3 miles a week, each week of
the three, working IL days a week.
This record is a remarkable one when
compared with engineering efficiency
of other state highway commissions.
There is one state this year which
had a S50,000,000 highway building
program. The engineering of that
states highway construction depart
ment boasted of the fact that with
their much greater capacity to build
highways, they were able to build two
miles of highways Z. day. Delaware's
highway equipment machinery, while
not as large as many other states, is
still an important item. The machin-
cry, according to Mr.. Buck, represents
an outlay of $2,250,000.
One of the features in the balance
sheet of the cost of the highways
built this year is the fact that the
state was called upon to pay money
for but few rights of way. In the IS
miles of highways constructed it was
necessary to obtain 562 rights of way
The willingness of Delawareans tC
give enough land to construct high.
ways through their properties, is due
largely to the fact that they realizt
the benefit the highways will be t
them in transporting produce, poultr!
=, and fruit to markets.
One happy illustration of the will
ingness of Delaware people to coop
crate with the State Highway Com
q mission in giving rights of way, wa
the stretch of road 1-2 miles fror
SeafOrd to Reliance. Owing to tn
: activities of the wide-awake citizen
= of that section, the rights of way fo
this road were obtained without
penny of cost to the State. The onl
nominal cost to the highway was tn
money paid for transferring the proI
erty and fees for recording deeds I
the land.
Saving in Concrete
.s One of the most important items j
10 the construction of highways in De
aware in the past year, and which
due to the able management of EngiI
eer Buck, is the saving and strength
ening of concrete highways through
more even distribution of cement.
used to be the fashion to build II
highways with the cement thickest
the center of the road. Engines
W now know that this is not the mo
efficient way. A little over a We;