Evening star., 1925-05-24
j. S. ROAD SYSTEM
EXTENSION RAPID
Upward of 100000 Miles
Now Hard Surfaced, Fed
eraI Authorities Estimate.

Approximately 100000 miles of sur
raced roads span the United States
from coast to coast, and almost 10000
miles are being added to the total each
year. These figures are based on esti-
mates made by the Department Of
Agriculture
The last complete survey of the road
Improvement situation was made four
years ago, when the total surfaced
mileage was toured at 3S7,760 miles.
While the exact state of road improve
ment In the United States at the pres
ent time is not known, reports to the
department of Agriculture in the last
Few years Of road activities warrant
rhe conclusion that the total mileage
is close to 100000 miles.
In announcing these figures, the de-
partment calls attention to certain er
roneous ideas current about road i'm
proVement.
Economy, Not Luxury.
Improved roads," says a statement
Just issued, tare not luxuries. For the
movement of every vehicle over a road
there is certain cost, which is less
II the road be improved than if 1t be
lett In state of nature. Logically,
therefore, the only limit that should be
placed on expenditures for road inn
provement is the amount that can be
saved in vehicular operating costs.
Th1s amount, of course, depends upon
the number of vehicles using the road.
The country loses more in increased
cost of operating vehicles by not i'm
proving roads than ii costs to i'm
prove them.
Another common error is that all
roads should be hard-surfaced. Hard
Surfacing with concrete, brick, asphalt,
stone or wood blocks is an expensive
process. When its cost is greater than
the saving accruing from the improve
ment, hard-surfacing is not advisable.
1t is possible to make great improve.
ments in roads without hard -surfacing
them, and these improvements arr
quite effective in reducing the cost Of
travel.
when vehicles using a road are
comparatively few, an unsurfaced, but
graded and drained road can be made
ana maintained in satisfactory condi-
llon by dragging at very low cost. If
the traffic is so great that an unsur-
laced road cannot be maintained in
continuous good condition, surfacing
with stone, Sand-clay or gravel al
though more costly than simple grad
ing, will generally be compensated by
the greater saving in the cost of oper-
ating vehicles over it. Similarly,
when the traffic is greater than a
gravel road will carry. a bituminous,
lnacadam surface can be economically
applied. 1t is not necessary TO use
one of the hard-surfaced types until
the traffic becomes very dense. When
thas point is reached, hard-surfacing
Is necessary and economical"
Princi~Ie Is Definite.
All roads should be improved, saws
the Department, to the maximum de-
gree that the traffic on them justifies,
but no road should be improved beyond
its earning capacity. When this prin-
c.ple is observed, the required annual
expenditure Tor any type of road is
within the yearly savings in the cost
OF operating the vehicles it has to
carry. In other words, the return to
the public in the form of economic
transportation is the sole measure of
the worth of road improvement. To
say that all roads should be hard-sur-
faced, the department points out, is
merely another way of urging expen-
dlture in excess of income
Still another common mistake is the
idea that there is such a thing as a
permanent road. This delusion, saws
the department, has been responsible
for much disregard of road main
tenance. None of the State highway
departments, however, any longer har-
borbor this error. 1t is now throughly
understood by these public agencies
that all roads, regardless of type, grad
ually depreCiate and wear out under
the wheels of vehicles and the action
of the weather. To keep a road in
continuously good order, il is neces-
sary to start maintaining it the day its
construction is COMPLETED