The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1952-11-07
ROAD MILEAGE
DOUBLED UNDER
SCOTT PROGRAM
The Figures Stand For Them
selves AS Proof of What
Can Be Done
By c. A. UPcHURCH, JR.

BY C. A. UPcHURcH. JR.
Raleigh,-When the Scott adj
ministration ends next January
North Carolina will have more
than double the mileage of paved
roads it had when he took office.
New hard-surfaced roads paved
during his administration will to-
tai 1870 miles.
That's 179 more miles than the
1861 miles paved in North Car
olina in all the years preceding
the Scott administration.
The figures were released by
Highway Chairman Henry w.
Jordan.
They reveal that North Caro-
lima will have a total of 1851
miles of hard-surfaced rural
roads outside of cities and
towns-by the end of this year.
That's equal to once around the
world at the equator-and then
some. In all the nation, only five
states have more paved mileage
than North Carolina. They are
Texas, California, New York, O.
hio and Pennsylvania. All five
have bigger populations and
more vehicles than North Car
DINA.
At the beginning of this year,
the North Carolina highway
system contained 66,547 miles
the largest State-maintained
road system in the country.
Chairman Jordan's figures
show that a total of 11,898.87
miles of paving was laid prior
to Sept. 80, 1852, on secondary
roads financed by the 5000, 000,-
900 bond issue voted by the peo-
pie of North Carolina in June of
1949.
An additional 1,674.61 miles of
country roads were paved be-
tween Jan. /, 1949, and last Sept.
80. Throughout the State, a to-
tai of 1892 miles of secondary
paving was definitely program
med to be completed between
Sept. 80 and next Jan. 1.
The three figures total 14,073.-
Al miles of paving on secondary
roads during the present admin
That's over 1000 miles above
the goal of $4,000 miles of secon-
Diary road paving set by Governor
Scott when he took office. In
other words, North Carolinians
are getting many more miles of
paved roads than they were pro-
missed when the secondary road
program was projected
If all the materials used for
the surface and base of the new
secondary roads were hauled by
rail, it would require $500
trains of 100 railroad cars each.
On the primary highways, a
total of 1868 miles of new paw
ing has been laid. An additional
l 1884 miles of primary highways
have been improved by widening
and resurfacing.
Add the 1868 miles of new
paving to the 14,O7S.41
miles of secondary-road paving
and you get a total of 10000
miles of new hardsurfacing laid
in North Carolina since January
of 1949-more mileage than was
paved in all the years before.
The record shows that no other
state ever approached the mag
nitude of the highway job done
in North Carolina-and that
means it has never been ap-
preached anywhere in the world.
And on top of the tremendous
road building job, the Highway
Department has kept abreast of
its routine task of maintaining
the $500 miles in the largest
State road system in the countrp.
It's been a back-breaking job.
The load fell heaviest on the 200
key engineers in the Highway
Department and their aides, de-
signers and assistants. Engineers
are scarce in times such as these
and so the 200 manfully. Shout
dered the burden and carried it
to and beyond the goal. They