Smyrna times., 1936-12-03
ROAD BUILDING
TO BE REDUCED
No Emergency Appropria-
tiOns Expected by the
Federal Government
ONLY S609,O0O AVAILABLE

struction program in Delaware is
certain to be drastically curtailed
below this years, w. w. Mack,
chief engineer of the State High
way Department, said last week.
Pointing out that the basis of
much of this years program is a
big federal emergency works ap-
preparation totaling S1.819,00O for
highways, and another of 100000
for grade crossing elimination, Mr..
Mack said he does not foresee any
thing like those amounts in emer-
gency appropriations for next
near. The expected curtailment of
federal appropriations will be off
set to some small extent by an an
ticipated increase in revenue from
the gasoline tax. Due to an in
crease of cent a gallon in this
tax and an increase of Is per cent
in gallons consumed, the revenue
from the tax increased from l.
1000 in the 1885 fiscal year to
S1,742,0OO in the 1886 fiscal period,
according to a Treasury Depart
ment statement issued in Washing
ton. Mr. Mack said the increase
next year may be as much as 10
per cent over this year. Though
the construction program is slated
for a sharp decline, Mr.. Mack said
he does not believe it will work
much hardship on employees Bus
mess is reigning in the unemploy-
ment slack and there still will be
a fairly sizeable highway construc-
tion program with S609,000 of reg
ular federal aid highway funds al
ready appropriated for 1887, to be
matched by the state. There was
an equal amount of federal aid
money appropriated for 1886 and
matched by the state, in addition
to the outright federal emergency
grants. Though the emergency ap-
preparations to create work relief
were made in 1885, most of the
spending took place in the current
year. Mr.. Mack added that al
most all of the appropriations, en-
ergency and federal aid, either
have been spent or are earmarked
for projects now under contract.
About 700 workers are now en-
ployed around the state on high
way construction work, and this
number is likely to be continued
for some time unless the weather
suddenly turns bad. The project
ed concrete bridge to eliminate
grade crossings of the Pennsyl-
vania and Reading railroads on the
South Wilmington causeway prob
ably will be started in January.
Arrangements with the two rail
roads are being concluded, and
bids likely will be asked few days
after January 1. Mr.. Mack said
the bridge would cost in the neigh
borhood of 100000. It will be
larger than the one over the Penn
sylvania Railroad at Newark,
which is nearing completion at
cost of S150,000. A total of S4,-
11O,883 has been spent on the erec-
tion of bridges and culverts by the
State Highway Department since
its inception to the present, accord
ing to report by Arthur G. Liv-
ingston, head of the bridge engin-
eering department. There were
581 bridges erected with a total
cost of S3,371, ,113, and 4,080 cul-
verts constructed with a total cost
of S139,770. The most expensive
bridge was the drawbridge at the
foot of Market Street in Whining
ton, which was built in 1927 at a
cost of S55O,00O. The bridge con-
struction work was looked after
by a force of three men in the Of
flee and one man in the field. This
group supervised the soundings
and borings for the substructures,
prepared plans and profiles and
turned out the final drawings for
all of the bridges and culverts that
lo,xo kaao oorCf od