San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-25
Adequate Highway System
Imperative Need in Texas

only question now arising is as TO the
best plan for permanent construction
and proper maintenance.
Up to the present time our whole
plan of road building has been based.
to a large extent, on the idea that all
roads are county roads," and that
their construction and maintenance
devolves upon the commissioners
courts of the respective counties. I'm
der this system the funds for con-
struction and maintenance of high
ways have been raised by the county,
and the type of road usually con-
structed has been determined by local
conditions and built to meet the ordi-
nary requirements of local traffic.
Under this plan of highway building,
over $100,000,000 worth of county
highway bonds have been voted by
the various counties of Texas and ap-
proximately $500 miles of good roads
have been built, with an additional
$500 miles of road now under con-
tract for construction. Over 1900
bridges, many Of them of large size.
have been built and many dangerous
railroad grade crossings have been
eliminated. Under this plan of high
way building our people have made
much progress and the transportation
facilities of our state have been great
ly improved.
Complete System Lacking.
Yet under this method, which per-
mits counties TO determine whether
or not good roads shall be built, We
find that not one of our important
trunk line highways is continuously
improved throughout its entire length,
and that those portions of the same
highway already built are not uniform
in construction, and therefore are not
capable of carrying like amounts Of
traffic.
As a chain is no stronger than its
weakest link, so road is no better
than its deepest mud hole. Although
we have already completed $500 miles
of improved highway in Texas, wei
have scarcely as much as 100 miles
of completed road in q single continu-
Gus stretch, and we frequently find
sections of the highest grade hard
surfaced road, capable of carrying the
heaviest truck traffic, lying between
two sections of gravel road suited
only for the highest passenger and
other ordinary traffic. Our StateI
Department, lacking state
funds to match the federal appropria-
tons, has had to depend upon the
counties to do so. The rich counties
have voted large bond issues and con-
structed roads of highest type; the
poorer counties have found it neces-
sary to construct roads of cheaper
type. Some counties voted no bonds
at all. Thus our arterial highways
traversing the state lack uniformity
and are at best but stretch of
The impossible condition Of the
mudholeS in some counties must then
be taken as the measure of the serv-
iceability of the great Bankhead High
way which traverses Texas from east
TO west and presents in some counties
a stretch of the finest type of hard
surfaced road possible of construction.
Thus we see that while this great
highway is as a whole constructed for
traffic, it can not render the
service for which it was intended be-
cause of inferior and oftentimes I'M
passable roads in some Of the counties
which it passes.
Maintenance Is Problem.
Another very serious objection to
our present method of road building
is that with large bond issues to take
care of the original cost of construc-
ton of their roads, find themselves
unable to provide sufficient funds for
their proper maintenance. Under the
heavy traffic to which they are sub
jected, and for which they are not
fitted, vast amount of our good roads
system is rapidly wearing away. The
proper maintenance of our roads is
as important as their original con-
struction.
1t is further a well-known fact that
in many instances the counties of this
state have been fleeced of funds for
road construction by incompetent or
road contractors. Those
charged with expending the county |
highway funds, lacking knowledge Of
the fundamentals of road building, !
have awarded contracts to local sup I,
inexperienced in road
resulting in the building
Of an inferior road with consequent
waste of money and ultimate dissatis-
faction to the users of the road. In
order to properly safeguard the e~-
penditure of the peoples money. the
of highways should be
and standardized and car
ried on under the supervision of those
qualified both by training
and wide experience, to guarantee TO
the citizens of this state dollars
worth of highway service for every =,
dollar expended in highway construc-
ton.
Change Is Essential. u
The experience gained during the .
asst five years has convinced civil en-
,ineers and men of affairs who have !
given thought to the subject, that our
present system of highway building
must be improved and a more salts
actory and comprehensive plan adopt
ID. In order to provide system of
highways that will connect all our
'ural communities with their respec-
i've trade centers. and which will also
connect our towns, county seats and
arger cities. finally connecting our
state with the great cardinal high