The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-01-19

.-'oo duSoHNcu OOHs
1920 s,57S.oo
Maintenance, Road Mark
ing, Reshaping, Stock
Piling Gravel, etc. (es-
timated 30 per cent in
crease over 1920 49,. 65l, 425.OO
$1,4O5, roe. go
Total available for new
contracts ............$ 857 ,Q37.45
s'The federal funds as stated are
fixed for 1927 and are definite to
tie exact cent" Frahm said. "The
state funds are perhaps conservative
ly estimated but on the other hand
they may not be. They are based on
The 1926 receipts for the reason that
car sales have shown a remarkable
falling off during the past six months
End repossessions on cars purchased
on time have increased. To estimate
the usual increase would not be safe.
Might Slow Up Construction
"The state funds viii be only slight
ly in excess Of the amount required
to meet federal aid on the basis we
ere working, so per cent federal, %
per cent state and rs per cent county.
This is important at this time when
separation Of the counties from state
road work is being considered Should
the counties be relieved from their
u per cent contribution, the high
way commission must be provided
With other funds or construction be
slowed up, which in view Of the pres
cnt demands would be very undesir-
able from your standpoint as well as
ours.
"1he counties now contribute some
what more to construction than they
receive from the auto license fees. If
twey are relieved from state road
work the highway commission should
have the entire license fees. Without
any curtailment of unds or work it
will take about ten years to grade
and gravel the state highway system
as now laid out and before the expira-
ton of that time the increased traffic
many places. Our traffic census
shows that paving would be justified
now near some of the larger cities.
Our conclusion is that the present
rate of progress must be maintained.
1.-THE present procedure of having
three governmental departments, the
federal, the state, and the county, at
tempting to cooperate can be improv-
cd. The state highway commission
should be in the best position to de-
termne the states interests in the
designation of the projects, not only
rs to location but also the sequence
Of building. Several of your men,
bers have advised me that they would
gladly be relieved from participation
IN state work so as to 1be able to de-
vote themselves to the development
OF a local county system. There is
ample road work of local nature
which will continue to be the re-
sponsiblity of the counties and We do
TO. believe that the state highway
commission should extend the state
system much beyond its present
mileage.
Important Roads First
n llultCu IIllCdSc VI SUdCc IOduS
has been fixed by statute in other
states. South Dakota has limit of
6,OOO miles although the federal Z
per cent allowance would permit con-
siderably more than that. Our own,
federal mileage, 7,434 miles, is more
than ample for the activities of the
state highway commission, perhaps
+As la.ro oul hox,ord <hot Tho corp
ti4 should take up the work. Our
designations are now within a hum
dred miles or SO of the federal limit
and further additions must be rather
of local interest, except for certain
s,srable cut-offs, relocations and
lf5rtcning of the routes. A statute
limiting the mileage tends to force
the construction of the principal
routes more rapidly than where there
is no limit to the secondary routes
which may be added and to which
funds may be diverted. Good roads
everywhere FOR everybody, but the
most important ones first!
Federal regulations require US to
follow grading with gravel surfacing
within reasonable time. We have
completed 2,746 miles of grading and
1885 of that has been graveled.
there are unfinished contracts of
GIT miles of grading and 140 miles of
crawling which will bring our total
to 3,423 miles graded and 1,475 jles
eraveled. This spread between the
grading and crawling cannot be in
creased without federal objection.
Adopting policy of an equal amount
o.. grading and crawling for next
season will permit construction Of
about 500 miles of each. The aver
age cost Of grading in 1926 was
$3,1M.13, including bridges and struc-
lures complete. The average cost of
eravelng was $2,O18.35 per mile. This
is slightly less than the average for
1925 when the averages were $780,
EG and $2,271.82. More contracts can
be awarded in the fall provided the
contracts were unfinished and final
payment made from the 1928 funds.
The counties have filed requests for
mArh more than can be constructed
this year. A greater mileage could
be constructed il the proportion Of
costs were divided into. say, one-third.
each federal, county and state, SO
That the federal allotment Of roughly
a million and half be multiplied by
:hree instead of two. This is worthy
Of your consideration in view Of the
lumber of requests you have made.
Difficulties over right Of way and
changes Of plan are avoided by with
holding the advertisement Of bids
until the plans are satisfactory to the
federal engineer and the right of way
cleared. You will therefore be fur
,AsAed with the plats so that you may
rufchase sheh land, gravel and Dor