Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-07-16

i Floods. washouts and the un-
pr@cedented weeks of spring and
B early summer rains have joined 70
/ make It mandatory that more
/ highways Of the state be classed in
the group Of projects for which adj
/ ditA0ual maintenance and recon-
/ struction money must be spent, IL
/ was revealed at the offices Of the
4 state highway department.
/ d. A McKinnon, state highway en-
{ gineer, said engineering surveys had
( shown that hundreds Of miles" Of
surfaced roads throughout the state
need reconstruction at the present
time.
a large share OF this total is on the
heavier traffic sections Of the states
highway system, he said, and those
sections Of road are 'in many in
stances" the earliest built and are Of
the earlier type Of construction. Such
roads. he added, are not up to present
standards and much of their need for
reconstruction Was based on the fact
that they have been receiving the
heaviest traffic for the longest time.
Many Of the earlier roads, surfaced
with oil mats, were not built heavily
enough and the abnormal amount OF
spring moisture brought about an un-
precedented amount Of breakup this
year.
NddLl4lllt highways Dlllb Ii 46kSA
years, the engineer said, we're in most
Instances those roads not needed as
quickly during the early progress Of the
system. Hence, they were constructed
last and are of the newest and highest
types Of construction.
I'm general" McKinnon said, I'VE
have two types Of roads-earners and
spenders.
Farmers are those which carry q
traffic heavy enough to return reve-
nue. from the gasoline tax greater than
the construction and maintenance costs
of the projects on that route.
"Spenders are those roads which do
not carry q traffic sufficient to return
payment for construction and MAIN
tenance, but the spenders are necessi-
ties because Of the value to the eco
nomic life and advantages to various
communities.
I'm many instances, the spenders are
the only roads connecting isolated COM !
munitieS. These terms simply refer to |
the revenue the roads produce, for
when we look at service to our resi-
dents, they are necessities.
I'VE cannot neglect oIr earners and
allow them to get into such a state
Of diSrepair they will cease to earn the 4
revenue necessary to provide for the I
construction, maintenance and recon-
struction of the spenders-so 1t Is /
doubly necessary to keep up our
earnerS.
"This can be done only by having
a wel-rounded-out, soundly pro-
plan Of reconstruction, to be
carried out IN conjunction with we'll Z
planned program of new construction"
The states highway system actually
Is a three-point system, McKinnOn 4
added. These points are: Reconstruc- +
ton, completion of the z percent sys-
tenn, construction of a system of feeder,
Or farm-to-market roads.
The several hundred miles of high
way In the state now in need OF recon-
Struction, he said, includes several
sections in the vicinity Of Helena.
AS examples OF the sections OF road
hat should be reconstructed in the
which includes Lewis and Clark, Broad
water and Jefferson counties, McKin-
ION said there were the Townsend
roston road, IL miles In length; the
Winston Townsend section, eight miles
ong, and the 10 mikes of highway near
divided into IA miles east
rom that pplace and five miles west OF
Another example OF the type of road
leeding reconstruction is that on which
he reconstruction work is now being
south from Helena through
Montana City on the Helena-Butte
highway. That section was obsolete,
harrow, improperly graded and had an
alignment full of bad curvature, the
ngineer said. 1t also had poor sur {
acfng.
The section Is Just now being finished {
nd has been programmed for surfac-
ng with an oil mat of modern standard,
he contract to be let as soon as state {
undS are available to match the fed I
raj grant, the engineer said.