Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-10-28
$4,000 MILES OF
ROADS COMPLETED
Figure Includes All Types
of Highway Under Pub
lie Roads Bureau

Washington Oct| n8.-More than
$4,000 miles of highway OF all classes
were completed under the supervision
of the Bureau of Public Roads in the
fiscal year that ended june 80 BY
far the greatest portion OF this work
was done in cooperation with State
highway departments and under de-
tailed State supervision. In this class
were II ,A01 miles of road financed
in large part with special emergency
funds and 1857 miles of regular Fed
.sral-aid work.
Notable progress was made in the
Federal program of elimination o.
hazards at grade crossings in which
Lac crossings were eliminated, 574
were protected with signals or other
devices and 1876 grade separation
structures We're reconstructed. The
Federal bureau points cut that this
work is important because it includes
many Of r:.s most dangerous crossings
on heavily Travelled routes that have
heretofore been neglected because of
the large cost
Payments IF Federal funds to the
States on account of the above work
totaled 1897, TAI, OIL. At the close of
the fiscal year the emergency funds
were very largely expended and fu-
ture work will be supported by an
nual authorizati. for each of the
fiscal years 1888 and 1889 of $125,000.
coo of Federal aid for improvement
of the Federal aid system, $25,OOO,-
600 for secondary roads and S5O,OO0,-
600 for elimination of hazards at
grade crossings.
Other work completed under b'1
reau supervision included 139 miles
of highway in national forests, 1853
miles in national parks, 245 miles in
pr' lie lands, and 80 miles of replace
ment of flood damaged roads. Nearly
3,4O0 mics o. road built with funds
provided by other Federal agencies
and turned over to the bureau for
supervision of construction were COM
pleted.
Highway planning surveys are being
carried on by A State highway de-
partments in cooperation with the
Federal government. Field work in
collecting data on road mileage and
conditions, on the volume of traffic
on highways and on highway finance
has been completed in most States.
States that have completed the field
work are now tabulating a mass of
data that has been collected and
when this is completed there will be
available a complete picture of the
highway situation. Information on the
relative importance of each section
of highway, sources of highway rev.
enue and purpose for which spent,
the extent to which rural and urban
residents contribute to the cost OF
each class of road, and the benefit
they derive by travel upon each class
will all ice used in planning future
highway work. Particular attention
has been given to conditions at all
grade crossing in order that this
phase of highway improvement may
be intelligently planned.
Work on the Inter-American High
way from the United States to Pana-
ma has continued at increased speed
during the past year. impossible gaps
have been reduced to $50 miles and
these should be closed rapidly when
bridge construction now under way
is completed. Under cooperative agree
nents with three of the Central Am
erican Republics, materials, machin-
erv and technical direction are be-
inc supplied by the United States for
the construction of nine bridges and
labor and local materials are being
supplied by the countries concerned.
Engineers of the Bureau of Public
| Roads are supervising the location
and guiding of sections of the route
| in Costa RIGA, Nicaragua, and Qua
| temala.
The total length of the highway will
be $3.50 miles. At present there are
| 1855 miles of all weather road, L.
| 425 miles of dry season roads, and
! $50 miles of trails impossible to
wheeled vehicles.
Investigations of road materials
and methods of construction have
| been continued by the Federal ROADS
| bureau. Important facts have been
| learned concerning the required dl-
mansions and reinforcement of con-
crete roads, the design of slabs for
bridge floors, and the properties of
bituminous materials.
A problem that many investigators
have attempted to solve with little
success is being attacked by the re-
search engineers of the bureau. rms
problem is to work out method OF
designing flexible type road surfaces
such as gravel, macadam and bitumin-
GUS mixtures applying principles OF
mechanics and mathematics Such
method is needed to design surfaces
properly for different loads, taking
into account differences in materials
and in soils on which road surfaces
are placed. Special apparatus is be-
ing devised for use in tests that are
TO be made to throw light on the