Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1927-11-03
FEDERAL AID FOR
STATE HIGHWAYS
$840, 100000 Appropriated To Help
y States Build 1s4, ISL Mile System
i@ of Highways Throughout United
States
By E. E. DUFFY

GA eiiu IOctuS arc lOIIIlIS
network of highways over the coun-
try that will bring all portions OF
the United States within hailing dis
- tance of each other. The total
amount of money that has been ap-
propriated or will be authorized for
appropriation to build this network
is $840,OOO,
Nearly $4,000 miles of federal aid
roads were completed or under con-
struction according to the latest
figures obtained June 80, last. Also
according to these figures the system
will include nearly 10000 miles of
road when all highways now pro-
posed are completed To build these
$4,000 miles of road, more than
billion and a quarter dollars has
been expended. Of this sum 44.-
per cent was spent for concrete
highways, 1877 per cent for gravel
and 8.3 per cent for bituminous
macadam; the rest of the money was
divided into smaller portions among
other types of roads.
According to the conditions under
which the money for roads is given
each state, it must keep up its own
system. The plan briefly is this:
If any state fails to maintain its
roads the secretary of agriculture is
authorized to repair the highways
and charge the cost Of the repairs
to tie amount Of G1lcacy tka fe.eGa-
government has on hand of this par
! itcular states portion. The money
thus spent is deducted from the
money the state has coming and all
allotments are withheld from this
particular state until the money has
been paid back. When the cost is
refunded it is reapportioned among
all the states so that the state fail
ing to keep up the roads loses all but
small sum.
Thus the states are anxious to
build roads that will require mini
mum amount of maintenance. For
this reason permanent roads, such as
concrete are preferred. A hard sur
faced thoroughfare requires less cost
to keep up and the money formerly
spent in upkeep of semi-permanent
roads can be used in extending the
states highway system
Another provision of the federal
aid system is that the minimum
width of roads be eighteen feet.
This minimum is maintained unless
special perm sion i obtained f ON
the secretary Of agriculture to re-
'duce them in width.
Federal aid is given to the state
for road building on the following
basis:
Before any state can benefit from
4 5his act it must lay out a system, to
be approved by the secretary of agii-
culture, consisting of not more than
seven per cent of the total mileage
of roads in the state. This has been
done in all states,
States receive money according to !
their population, area and mileage OF
post roads in relation to the totals
of all the states. Each of these
phases are given rating Of one
third in determining the amount OF
money the state IS to receive.
Except in states where more than
five per cent of rhe area is unap-
public land, the amount of federal
aid received on any project is linn
tied to SO per cent of the cost of la
Dor and materials. In the states five
per cent or more of whose area is
public land, the SO per cent allow
ance is increased by an amount equal
to one-half of the percentage OF
public land in the state.
For example, under the above
provision, Arizona is given 1884
per cent of the cost of the roads.
Nevada benefits to the extent of
S7.72 per cent of the road expendi-
ture. Thus western states with a
small population are enabled to build
extensive highway systems.
Pennsylvania has 10000 miles IN
its state road system. Approximately
1000 miles are federal aid roads,
laid out as unified system accord
ing to Federal provisions. Built for
permanence, 5000 miles of Penn
sylvania roads are of concrete con-
struction.