Show WIDTH OF ROADS THROUGHOUT the e eastern stern stat states L a n movement is 15 gaining gamIng headway looking toward a reduction in the tho width of country highways between property lines Rc Recently a a. national expert after inspecting some of the tho principal highways highways high high- ways in Utah declared they were about twice as wide as need be v- v Much J depends of course coarse on topographical topographical topo topo- graphical conditions and t formations In most new countries fo for instance with land plentiful and only crude methods of road construction construe construe- tion non and upkeep the main thoroughfares thoroughfares thorough thorough- fares were ere surveyed sun at 60 GO to GO GG feet in width and byroads broads at 35 to 40 feet wide This was deemed necessary in order that the beaten road rond might bo be bob b banked sufficiently with gutters for drainage and e embankment nb at property property prop prop- I erty line to protect adjacent fields and especially through swales anc and I. I swamps a rod four-rod thoroughfare was no none none e too ide wide to fo meet such exigencies exigencies cies Through high hiSh and dry lands i it mig might t not be necessary to lay layout out so wide a h highway y but it it was done dono to maintain uniform road systems The Tho standard width of county roads in Utah is 66 feet except the exten exten- sion Elon of State street feet fee wide If the tho entire width of a highway were surfaced for traffic a road two r rods ds wide Vide would more moro than answer answer- all al alli legitimate i purposes purpose if tho entire 4 width of a n rod four-rod highway were ere surI surfaced sur sur- faced for traffic twelve teams could conic I ThO e be driven over it abreast j J. J Land waste aste enters into the equation rf jit is is- is calculated that a 1 foot 66 highway high high- way Yay vay occupies from four to six acres acre of pf f unused land laud per mile mite n and ld that tha some somo o o of the tho tl eastern states hava bava thus thu given Civen up t to the he h highways ys more than J acres acres of their most fertile lands Along these wide highways it itis is al almost al- al most ii h. universal nr condition that weeds thrive and wax strong and spread their noxious seeds seeds over tho the farmlands farm farm- lands ands alongside and aud as an offset itis it itis its is s contended that the expense of n n- slovenly kept wide wido road would go far toward oward maintaining a narrow road in prime condition In some portions of the ho east enst where fences along roadways Broadways arc are not absolutely essential many farmers armors plow and cultivate ate crops crop within a n few feet of the tho track When the effort is made ronde to line tho the highway with shade trees it requires many years ears to develop trees sufficiently sufficiently largo large to shade eff effectually a foot 66 road In some of the thc European countries where land landis is fully occupied and in- in tensely ensely cultivated there are of miles of rural roads that are aro only a a. rod wide vide lined on both sides ids by fruit ruit trees which supply arboreal Beauty in blo blossom Jimo som timo and throughout through through- out ut the tho summer and also yield a large o share sharo of the tho fruit crops Scientific road construction in this country will evolve ol similar conservation conserva- conserva ion Hon in time With surfaced hard driveways dri it will not bo be necessary to maintain such wide wido thoroughfares with consequent economy in upkeep and nd the restoration of many thousand arc of valuable land to useful cul- cul |