Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-10
LOW-COST ROADS
NEEDS STUDIED
Secondary System of Nation
Considered by State and
Federal Officials.
BY JAMES w. BROOKS.
American Highway Educational
Bureau.

BY JAMES w. bhOOhS.
Director, American Highway Educational
Bureau.
The growing need for a greater mile
age of low-cost roads as means Of
spreading the benefits OF highway i'm
provement over the entire country is be-
ing given intensive study and applica-
ton by State and Federal highway au-
thorities.
This need Is recognized as a most
essential part of the country's highway
program. 1t has been at no time over
looked, Notwithstanding the immediate
necessity for high type construction
around heavy traffic centers to prevent
the absolute wrecking of the whole pro-
gram by excessive road repair costs. AS
matter OF fact, road replacement on
many of the original projects is already
coming up, with road widening hardly
begun, and there Is no prospect of the
Nations bodybuilding enterprise ever
reaching anything like an easy stage
There can be no let-up at the risk of
heavy loss to the public.
Is Needed Adjunct.
In the matter of the low-cost road,
1t may be set down as a truth that its
ultimate goal is toward one of the high
er types as 1t advances in social and
economic service to the public. In the
meantime it is needed as an adjunct to
they heavy traffic lanes, functionins
somewhat in the capacity of a branch
line railway and over which trafic re-
qulrements may be met with less expen-
Sive roadbed
The claim Is made that farms are not
being motorized as rapidly as they
should be, and that to achieve this re-
suit more highway capital should be
spent in that direction Perhaps, but
IL must be remembered that highways
are being built from motor vehicle rev.
enues. ana that of the approximate u.s.
OUO,OOO cars now in use, only about
100000 were owned at the farm end of
tne road as late as last year. Original
sources OF highway income therefore
indicate where motor traffic is heaviest
ana where the most money should be
spent, but notwithstanding this guide.
the farm end Of the road is ALREADY
getting a much larger percentage OF
capital for highway Improvement than
It Is paying in, when studied from the
STANDPOINT OF car ownership.
concerning the task which confronts
highway officials and engineers in ad-
1uStlng the various types of constrIIc-
ton to Mt trafic demands, it should be
remembered that since the first step in
Federal aid road-building was taken in
1916, the power equivalent of more than
one pilllon horses has been thrown upon
the highways of this country, This new
power appeared in the form of gasoline
engines, approximately 81 600 900 In
number between 1915 and 1928. Accord
Ing TO motor vehicle registration fig
ures for that period, and allowing an
average Of so horsepower to each en-
CINE. The amount of increased tonnage
moved by this new power is utterly
beyond calculation. Never before in the
n1GfnFV 0f q Han
had to cope with the difficulty Of pro-
viding adequate and economic trackage
Tor such an amazing volume of trafic
already in motion.
Concentration Due Officials.
In looking back over the achievements
OF the last few years and noting the
mileage of new highways. both low cost
and high cost, that have been con-
structed under such heavy demands
from both ends of the road, the discov-
cry is made that commentator rather
than criticism is due the officials and
engineers who are striving to keep new
trackage apace with increasing highway
motive power. 1t is a very difficult task,
and one that is being made increasing
ly difficult by the fact that the Federal
Government Is running far behind in
financing its share of the cost.
There have been rumoTS that chemists
were seeking a way to make rock out
Of dirt. but Uncle Sam and his State
partners are not placing much faith in
that prospective development They are,
instead, proceeding as best they can In
the construction of low-cost roads, with
it belongs and other types where they
belong, according to existing trafnc
needs, and against the day when q
higher type will be needed.