The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-10-10
ROAD SYSTEM
WILLREQUIRE
TOTAL iNCOME
Gravel Surfacing Totals 1880
Miles, 423 Being Built and
Is to Be Contracted
BRIDGE DEMAND BIGGER
Highway Commission Secre.
tary Has 4 Ways to Boost
Funds for Construction

Increased use of state roads has
. been so rapid that the state high
! way department soon will have to
. spend all of its income upon main
tenance unless more money is forth
coming to support the BODYBUILDING
program, ]. ]. Ermatingcr. secre-
tary Of the state highway commits
sion. told members of the Fargo
, Rotary club today.
Since 1925, Ermatinger said, traf-
! fic on state roads has increased 100
per cent while the number of motor
vehicles has increased only 10 per
cent, Ermatinger said.
! within three or possibly four
years the state highway commission
will be unable to build foot Of
| road" Ermatinger said. "All of its
funds must be applied to keeping
the highways already constructed in
good condition and our highway
system will then be only two-thirds
completed. that is earth graded and
gravel surfaced. There will he no
. money for paving and very little, IL
any, for oil treatment. Matters are
in q crucial state. not only on the
financial side but on the technical
side as we'll"
1880 Graveled Miles
By next January, the speaker said,
1900 miles Of earth graded state
road will be completed or under con-
struction of which 2,4O0 miles will
be graveled and 10 miles paved. On
! / If
status was 1916 miles of grading
completed, 726 miles under construc-
ton and so miles of this years pro-
gram still to put under contract.
Gravel surfacing totalled 1880 miles
with 423 miles under construction
and IS miles to be put under con-
tract.
With 1900 miles of road, earth
graded, the state will have $500
additional miles to improve at an
average cost Of $4,000 a mile. Err
matinger said. That means the ex.
penditure of Sl3,OOO,OOO. With only
2,4OO miles graveled, 5,1OO miles re-
main to be improved by surfacinp at
an average cost of $4,000 a mile,
requiring the expenditure of an ad-
ditional ten million dollars.
In addition to this, Ermatinper
said. there is the increasing demand
for bridges across the Missouri and
Red rivers which may be expected
to draw heavily on the state ex-
chequer and the demand for more
tarred and oiled roads, which already
is becoming heavy. He estimated
that the expenditures for bridges
alone during the next 10 years will
total 100000.
No Paving Seen
Last in the list Of highway prob
lens comes that Of paving, the
speaker said, which costs from $780,.
600 to $4,000 q mile. The state
highway department has no money
Tor paving now and never will have
any unless the fiscal policy is
changed, he said. In addition num-
erous technical problems must be
solved if paving is to be laid. Roads
should be widened and raised 4 foot
or two above their present surface
level to prevent snowdrifts.
Other changes, he said, will be to
construct flat-bottomed bitches in
stead of the V-shaped bitches now
used and q 10O-foot right Of way
instead Of the 66-foot width now
used.
During the last two years the
sale Of trucks has increased 100
per cent and truck registrations have
increased 70 per cent in the same
period. Since this places . heavier
weight burden on the roads IL is
another index that costs Of main
tenance will climb. If the roads are
permitted to 60 to pieces they must
be rebuilt.
Gravel roads have to be resur-
faced every four years and with
1000 miles Of gravel construction
1000 miles must be resurfaced an
nually 1t = cost Of from 81 900 to
$1,t00 . mile.
He offered four ways to increase
funds available for state highway
construction. The first was to in.
crease the counties share Of con.
struction costs; the second to in.
crease the automobile license fees:
the third is to increase tthe gasoline
tax and the fourth to float Z bond
Issue and retire the bonds from in
creased registration fees and xaso-
line tax collections-or . combine
alton Of the various alternatives 20
- 20 spread the burden more thinly.
-