Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-17

With total of SO ,302 800 for high
way work of all classes in the new
District appropriation law, the engi-
neer department is on the eve of an
other year of marked progress in
street improvement.
This aggregate sum in the new law
is S43, 900 more than the $3.25s,OOO al
lowed the department for the f1scal
year now drawing to close.
In the accompanying table, Z. b.
Hunt, engineer of highways, shows
how the new act measures up with the
current appropriation law for each OF
the eight headings under which funds
are made available for the upkeep and
Improvement of the streets.
A glance at the table reveals that
the gasoline tax fund, used exclusively
for highway work, has mounted to
such an extent that Congress has been
able to reduce the appropriations from
general taxation for street improve.
ments" and for repairs to streets
and still give the highway department
more money in the aggregate.
Suburban Link Weakest.
The item in the table, Repairs
To suburban roads," shows an increase
for the coming year from $4,000 to
1910 900, but despite this addition or
SIS 900, Mr.. Hunt regards this item
as the weakest link in the chain of
highways appropriations at the pres
ent time. This is the fund from which
the many miles of macadam, cinder
and dirt roads in the outlying portions
of the city must be kept passabte py
frequent patchwork.
According to Mr.. Hunt, the constant
swelling of the gasoline tax fund and
the liberal appropriations made by
Congress during the past few years
for resurfacing and new paving are
making possible steady progress as
far as permanent paving is concerned.
| The same cannot be said Of the sub
urban road situation, and Mr.. Hunt
believes the next budget. on which the
| Commissioners soon will begin work,
should carry a substantial increase for
that phase of highway construction.
THE cost of maintaining suburban
roads has virtually doubled in the last
five years, while the appropriation for
that purpose has increased only about
20 per cent" said the engineer OF
highways.
Repairs More Costly.
He explained that the cost Is greater
because the heavy trucks OF today
make it necessary to use more mate
rial in patching suburban roads and
| that the repairs must be made more
| frequently to stand these modern
| loads.
The constant addition of new streets
az subdivisions are laid off in the
suburbs is another factor in the need
for more money for repairs to subur'
han roads" according to Mr.. Hunt.
To illustrate this factor he pointed
out that in the last fiscal year ID
miles of streets were added to the
suburban road area by the growth
of the city. In the. same year IL
miles of suburban roadWays were
permanently paved and thereby trans
ferred from the classification OF sub
urban roads to city streets. Even
this offset however, left the subur-
ban road gangs with a net addition or
8 miles of new territory to be main
tanned.
Load Limit Liberal.
Mr.. Hunt said that the District
allows a liberal maximum load limit
for trucks on the theory that the
economy in the use of large trucks re-
suits in greater saving to all the peo.
pie III Tie COST VI
| I'm trucks than the additional road
maintenance made necessary by the
| use of heavy trucks. He contends,
| however, that while the people gen
orally are getting the benefit of what
ever economy results from the use of
| heavy trucks, the item for repairs
| to suburban roads has not been in
creased enough TO cover the added
| maintenance.
| or the $4,000 for suburban road
work in the new law. 100000 was
made Immediately available, and near
| ly all of this will be spent during the
Spring in repairing the accumulated
damage to macadam and gravel high
ways during the Winter.
| 1t was necessary for Congress to
| make part of the suburban road appro'
| priation for the fiscal year 1927.192S
available for the final quarter Of the
present fiscal year because the high
way department found 1t was essential
| to spend the current funds Cor this