The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-05-29
pOAD
12BUHD1lNG
ROAD CONSTRUCTION
is GREAT PROBLEM

(By C. S. LEE, Director Highways In
formation Service, New York City.)
~ The growth of sthe good roads
movement in the United States and
Canada since its organized inception
in 1880, and with the great stimulus
1t received in the periods immediately
following the advent of the automo-
bile and the appearance of the motor
truck, has been so rapid, so extensive
and so effective that highway con-
struction today constitutes one ofethe
greatest, if not the greatest problem
In American economic life.
There are now 1902 organized
agencies actively and directly plead
ing the cause of good roads. The agi-
tatiOn, to date, has brought about the
construction of 10000 miles of sur
faced highways raising the highway
mileage of the United States to 2,47S.-
$50, and that of Canada TO 255,000.
The automobile industry, fourth
largest in the country. with 1858 manu-
featuring plants, capitalized at $1,204,-
378.642, employing $4,000 workmen,
having al output VI -g-Ost,lOt
passenger cars and trucks valued at
1884, S14620, and supplemented. as it
is, by 1910 firms producing auto parts
valued at 300,000,000 a year, together
with 1000 firms manufacturing an
nually 35000,000 tires, valued at ST.
00O,OO0000 is absolutely dependent
upon highway Improvement for its sta
bility and upon increased road mileage
for greater expansion. In addition
$4,000 distributors of automobiles are
involved as well as A, 800 dealers in
automobile accessories and $4,000 deal
ers in tires So great. too, has the
road-buiding industry become, in con-
sequence of the demand for improved
roads, that 1900 contracting firms are
now engaged in actual construction
work. The roads are now traversed
by 9,211,2 95 licensed cars and trucks,
of which 100000 are used on the
farms.
Prior to 1880, when Amos G. Batch
elder, late chairman of the executive
board of the American Automobile as
ISOLATION at Washington, with H. S.
Earle of Detroit and other pioneer adj
vocates, organized the League of
American Wheelmen and began
systematic campaign, a good roads en-
thusiast was looked upon with undis-
guised curiosity or amusement as
something of ga nut'-a Ioquacious,
but no doubt, well-meaning person
who might be seen, but not heard.
Usually he was promptly sat down
upon" by the lugubrious taxpayer.
Opposition gradually melted away,
however, as the campaign became
more fully organized and extended.
Since 1880 more than $1,000 100000
has been spent for highway improve
ment in the United States and Can
ada More than $1,3O0,0O0,000 is now
available, and 81. 500 100000 additional
will be necessary to carry ont projects
under contemplation. And yet. with
all this, only a beginning has been
made. Billions more must be expend-
ed before the country has anything
like a highway system adequate to the
traffic needs.
The great demand for good roads
and the progress made in road build
ing has evolved many types of hard
surfaced roadway, of which the BIZ
luminous are in greatest general use.
The popularity of these types espe-
cially those of the sheet asphalt, the
asphaltic concrete and asphaltic mac
adam, is due TO their long-wearing
qualities, resiiency against traffic inn
pact, dustlessness, noiseleSsness, clean
liness land low cost of upkeep. Brick
and concrete roads have also devel-
oped with the agitation as have the
wooden block and granite block types.
The most recent available figures give
42.11 per cent of the surfaced roads in
the United States as being gravel,
25.22 per cent as of macadam, 17.16
per cent as of sand clay, 1923 per
cent as of asphalt and other BIZ
luminous materials, 391 per cent of
concrete and 0.62 per cent of brick.
The figures for the asphaltic and
brick types-a total of 1858 per cent
show the extent to which the city
types of pavement have been adopted
in the rural districts. The wooden
block and the granite block types do
not appear to have progressed as yet
beyond the city boundaries.