Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-04-10
THE WORTH OF A HARD SUR
FACED ROAD

|
FACED ROAD
CHARLESTON, w. VA, April 3
What is hard road actually worth
The State Road Commission ans
wers this question as follows:
A great deal has been printed -
bout the benefits and profits to be de-
rived from paved highways, and most
of the statements made are true, but
as rule the claims are made in gen
eral rather than in specific terms.
| Paved roads are of special value 10
two large classes of people:
1-Owners of property traversed by
| the highways.
| 2-Owners or users of motor yehi-
cles.
There is no method by which the
| benefits of the hard road to the pre-
perty owner may be accurately mea-
sured in dollars and cents. The mar
ket value Of every acre of land along
an improved road is increased by
such improvement, but the proport-
ion of increase is variable. If the
owner of the land is actively engag-
ed in the production and sale of yege-
tables, milk, butter, eggs, poultry,
fruit, live stock or standard farm
crops, the hard road makes possible
much greater and more profitable
production.
To each property owner and each
producers, the improved road has a
dollars and cents value far beyond
his share Of the cost, but in each case
that value is different, according to
location and the specific size and ma
ture of production.
To the owner of an automobile or
motor truck, it is possible to meas
ure the value of paved road almost<
exactly.
Following tests and observations
made in many different places, and
by many different men, the observ-
ers agree that the value of a paved
road to the average motor vehicle is
five cents for each mile the vehicle
travels.
This conclusion is reached by first
observing the cost Of travel over an
unimproved road, including gasoline.
tires, repairs, depreciation, ect. and
then ascertaining the cost for the
the same kind of vehicle over a
paved road. The authorities agree
that the difference between an i'm
proved road and good gravel road
is three cents mile, and between
the unimproved earth road and the
paved road, five cents a mile.
With this as basis, it is not diff
ficult for any automobile or truck
owner to figure out just what hard
road is worth to him, Individually.
The Natioal Geographic Magazine
states that the average annual milage
travelled by each motor vehicle in the
United States is more than 5000
1t is obvious, that if all this trav-
cling could be done over paved roads
on the basis of five cents a mile, the
average to each car or truck owner
would be $500 year for each ma
chine. As we have now some IA
100000 motor cars and trucks in
the United States, the annual saving,
if all the travelling were done ON
paved roads, would amount to more
than four million dollars, which is
more than four times as much as
was spent on the roads in the United
States in 1928.
These figures do not include the
convenience or pleasure Sof travelling
over good roads nor any of the indi-
rect profits to men engaged in COM
mercial pursuits. Neither do they
take into consideration the fact, that
there is a considerable part of the
year during which the man who
lives on an earth road cannot use his
car or truck at ALL
Take advantage of your opportu