Evening star., 1923-03-04
COMPLETED LINCOLN HIGHWAY
TO REPRESENT $7OOOO,OOO

If the six or eight intrepid soulsi
who undertook to cross the American
continent in motor car in 1913 join
the caravan of fifteen or twenty thou
sand cars which in 1928 will flow
east and west along the Lincoln
Highway between the two coasts,
they can best appreciate the marvel
ous changes of ten years.
The fact is the whole history of
American roadbuilding on anything
like a national scale is comprised
within the past decade. When the
Lincoln highway in its larger sense
as great main line for a national
Highway transportation system was
nothing more than an idea hope. in
1913. rlany ridiculed the Missionaries
who f tresaw the expenditure of so
vast a sum as S20.000.000 on the road
between, New York and San Francisco
within {. period of even twenty years
Vast Improvement In Nine Years.
In the nine years ended with the
advent of 1923. over S47.OO0.OOO had
been expended on the improve
lncnt OF the Lincoln highway
enough at an average oil S2VuUo
per mile to construct $3.50 miles of
the route or more than two-thirds of
of il has been built. if by built is
meant the completion and opening of
4 road satisfactory for the traffic of
the present
Each year since the Inauguration
Of the work of the Lincoln highway
Association has seen the construction
of between and 10 per cent of the
total distance and has witnessed the
extension of adequate maintenance
over 4 longer and longer mileage OF
the completed work. The eleven
states traversed by the Lincoln high
way built 235 miles of the route with
the aid of the federal government in
1922. this work costing in total S4.-
6-S.041.1t. or an average of practically
100000 per mile. Maintenance on the
Lincoln highway during 1922 cost ST.
26S. 1869. that the total amount
expended on the betterment of the
route last year was S6,046,16S, an
amount slightly less than the aver
age Of the past five years.
Total Cost S70,OOO.OOO.
At the recent annual meeting of the
board Of directors of the Lincoln
Highway Association. it was esti-
mated that by the end of tins year.
taking into consideration the existing
contracts. over $4,000. 100000 will have
been expended on the Improvement OF
the Lincoln highway. 1t was further
estimated that at least S20.000Ooo.oo
more-that is. an amount equivalent
10 that it was assumed ten years ago
would complete the route-wiil neces
sarily he invested in additional I'M
provement TO open up road satls-
factory for the trafhc across each
state
From these estimates it is evident
that bringing the Nations Main
Street" to satisfactory status OF
Improvement will require total ex-
penditure of some 500 100000. At
the rate of five or six million dollars
year. a sum less than the average
expenditures of the past nVe years.
the first completion of the route can
bc fureseen about the end of 1925.
Of course the route will be in splen-
did condition for the greater part OF
the distance long before that IL
would he open in its entirety. without
the possibility of any real difficult
ties. for the heavy traffic of 1928.
were ii not for the stubborn re1usaI
of one state to complete short ana
important link. AS il is. the coming
seasons traffic will have to take its
chances as usual on the short Utah
desert stretch.
Progress In Each state but Utah.
The condition of the Lincoln High
way in each of the states traVersed
is Il live subject of interest TO motor
lists now in every part OF the union
The Lincoln Highway Association re-
ports the accomplishments of 1872
and tn. status Of the route in each of
the states, briefly as follows:
New Jersey.
N 1922 New Jersey built So miles
Of Lincoln way 10 the highest niod-
crn Spet.ifjra ions pavement J. inches
thick and - feet wide, necessitated
bv the tremendous volume of travel
between New York and Philadelphia
Subsuil conditions under the Lincoln
Way ut many points require an IN
tricatc system of under drains in or
der to insure stability. and the cost
has been correspondingly high, aver
aging over Sl50.000 a mile. The aver
age cost of maintenance on the LIN
coin highway i'll New Jersey during
1872 was s2.725 per mile. The road
was kept in perfect condition.
Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania completed 7.24 miles
of new concrete construction on the
Lincoln highway last year at d cost
of $439.O33. or an average cost per
mile of S60,723.75. Consistent prog
ress is made by the state each year on
its program of reconstructing the
Lincoln highway between Philadel-
phia and Pittsburgh with concrete.
The maintenance on the old macadam
while perfect. is very expensive aver
aging during 1922 on 800 miles of the
soutc sl.74f.S6 per mile. an average
materially below that of 1921.
Ohio.
\ relatively small amount of new
Improvement was accomplished on the
Lincoln way in the TSuckeye state
last year. For some years Ohio has
been proceeding at the rate of about
90 miles year. but in 1922 con-
structed but 9.13 miles of new pave
ment. this being vitrified brick on a
concrete base and costing s372, ,71S.49,
an average of s4O,823.50 per mile.
The new pavement completed was
largely between Ashland and Mans
1IeId The remainder of the required