The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-09-02
wv BILLIONS NEEDED
FOR NC. HIGHWAYS
IN NEXT Is YEARS
Comprehensive Report Prepared
BY Highway Commission, Out
lines Desirable Program

The State Highway Commission
last week was given what is de-
scribed as the most comprehensive
Highway Needs Study ever pre-.
pared in North Carolina.
The report, prepared and sub.
mitted to the Commission by
Highway Director w. F. Babcoch
and his staff, analizes road needs
throughout the State for the next
15-year period and recommends
approximately 1000 individual i'm
provement projects on the vari-
Gus highway systems.
The Needs Study follows earlier
action of the Highway Commits
sion which defined the extent of
the highway systems and adopted
desirable levels of service fol-
each. The five systems are Trunk
Highway System, Trunk Feeder
Highway System, Rural Collector
Highway System, Urban Street
and Highway System and Rural
Secondary Road System.
Total highway needs as set
forth in the report for the 1860
1875 period amount to $2,417, $780,
600 while anticipated revenues
with the present State Highway
Fund structures plus Federal Aid
amout to $1,912, 100000 for the
same period. The total deficiency
of funds for the Is years would
be $505, 100000 or $33, 100000 an
nually between now and 1875.
Perhaps the most revealing sta
tistic in the entire report shows
that North Carolina has 1O.5O9o
of all State administered road mile
age in the Nation and operates
on only 3.05ro of the State Funds
of all Highway Departments.
Even with research projects in
better maintenance at less cost,
economies in administration and
efforts at reducing construction
costs, Highway Fund revenues
will fall short of anticipated
needs, according to the study.
The report recommended that
the Commission retain the respon-
sibility for Secondary Roads to
develop a better coordinated ru-
raj road system and prevent cost
ly duplication of services in the
100 counties. However, it pointed
out that use of large numbers of
prison laborers in road mainten-
ance greatly increases costs over
mechanical maintenance proce-
dures. 1t was conceded that use
of some prison labor on roads is
warranted but, at the present, the
Highway Commission is charged
some S. per day for over 5000
prisoners.
Five separate highway systems
were defined for North Carolina
with desirable levels of service to
the travelling public. Heaviest ar
terial routes and the Interstate
System is defined as the Trunk
Highway System and 15-year
needs for this system, which COM
prises 1900 miles of roads, were
set at $721,5O0,OO0.
Next is the Trunk Feeder Sys-
tenn, which accommodates moder-
ate to high volumes of traffic
travelling shorter distances and
embracing 5000 miles of US. and
NC. numbered routes. Recon-
mended improvements on the
Trunk Feeder Highways for 1860
1875 is $218,15O,0O0.
Other US. and NC. numbered
routes were placed in the report
on the Rural Collector Highway
System with approximately $500
miles. Fifteen-year costs to i'm
prove the Rural Collector System
were $152,750,000.
The study showed that the
North Carolina Highway Commits
sion is responsible for some 5000
miles of urban streets and high
ways, or one-third of all such mu-
nicipal streets in the entire State.
Needed improvements in urban
highways totaled $255, 100000.
The great bulk of North Caro-
lina's mileage is on the rural
Secondary Road System. Costs tc
stabilize inadequate unpaved sec,
tons and to pave roads with so OF
more vehicles per day was tabu'
lated at $624,481 900. Accompany
ing the report are maps showing
location of improvement projects
recommended for the next IL
years and descriptions and costs
of each project are listed in the
appendix.
In summary, the report states
that "If North Carolina is to NEE
the growing public demand fol
improved highway facilities ane
is to satisfy the demonstrated
need for such improvements, al
additional $5O5, 100000 will be re
quired during the period 1860 t.
1875. This represents an average
ANIMAL need of sac. 600.0 900 fol