| Show GERMAN AND I AMERICAN HIGHWAYS Their Theil Width hIth the Chief Cause of or Poor In the United States The following Information concerning tho the superiority t of the highways hl of Germany German as sis compared with those In tho the United Stales StateR Is furnished by Consul Robert nobert J Thompson of Hanover Perhaps Germany Is not more moro noted for Cor the tho excellence e of or Its roads than any an other of several European coun countries countries countries tries but hut It Is not un mi extravagant statement to say In that one never sees In any nn of the thu American western westen states a II country count road na rev good hood as an the poorest to be bo found here While Winne this Is duo principally to the scientific building and maintenance of public roads road In Europe It Is perhaps likewise at attributable In ht equal degree to the re rc restriction of or the highways to a 11 rea reasonable reasonable and und workable width German Girman roads arc are perhaps subjected to lo a hundred times timeR more traffic than similar roads In the thu United States These roads range from front 20 I to 30 feet In width while In our middle or western west western western ern states where the thc traffic Is com comparative comparatively light we take land of ot an average value of per acre and cut It Jt u UE ut with roadways 66 60 feet In width practically of the tho same Iame being given gen over to weeds which furn turn furnish furnish ish an Inexhaustible supply of seeds for tor tho thu adjoining farm lands The Tho farmer In Germany German who has haa conquered tho the weeds on his bin ground need have no thought of ot tu Ul their lr being started again fu I from uncultivated or land along ulong the roadways There are no 1 weeds no mud mu or chuck holes no sand hand stretches In ht the roads Looking Into the valleys alleys from one of the thou thousands thousand thousands sands sand of oC lookout towers which have hae been placed on the he t summit of nearly nearl every ever high elevation of ot land or 01 moun mountain mountaIn tain in Germany the roads Ho lio before onos ones view like bright white ribbons ribbon running past squares of green or brown Holds along niong the verges ere of cultivated woods and binding village to village a solution of tho the first and most Important Im Jm Important problem of human economy and evolution that of transportation It I Is 11 not an Infrequent sight when traveling by b rail tall through the more level lovel stretches of country In Germany France or 01 Holland to see an automo automobile automobile automobile bile lying flying over some main highway running parallel with the railroad easily keeping pace with the train for Cor miles lie It being generally necessary to slacken speed only on I when pissing asing p through the larger villages and towns townsand townsand townsand and never on account of or poor roads The question for Cor the United States may ma seem almost hopeless hope hopeless less loss when considered with wIlh such pictures before the eye lJ e but ono ore of the simplest and most practical measures that could bo he taken for Cor their betterment would bu bo buto boto beto to reduce their width to from to of or what they the now nOv are Work ork could then be concentrated on ou the road roadway roadway way wa and drains the waste land re returned returned returned I turned to the farmers farmer or abutting prop property erty orty crt owners and an l by b these perfectly nat natural ural ual economies make mako both the building and maintenance of the roads a much simpler and less expensive proposition No road load can be bo called really good If IC It Jt Is li bordered with weeds or mud and to care rare for and keep up a 11 road from CO GO COto GOto to 70 feet In width not to mention the loss of or land means In the long Ions run nearly double the expense of a 30 or 33 35 3 foot oot road roar The Prussian law specifically states stateR that unnecessary width shall hall be avoided on account of or the th cost of ot load land and the greater expense of con construction and maintenance The average mela width widths of the chaussee or highway of or the first class In Prussia Is approximately 30 feet reet and this width has ha been found to be ample for all aU purposes In the United States public highways In the glen given below may maybe ma mabe maybe be conservatively estimated as follows In miles the data for Minnesota Wisconsin Wisconsin Wis Wisconsin and an l Michigan being official Minnesota Wisconsin Michigan GO oo Iowa Kansas Ka Nebraska Missouri Illinois Indiana Ohio 80 SO GOO COO total Reducing tho the width of these public highways which now average 66 feet to lo 36 feet Ceet leaving them still much tides than the highways of or Prussia would Rive give back b ck to tho the farmers of those states for cultivation acres of gen generally generally tillable land which at nn an aver average average age valuation of per acre would moan mon the restoration to the producing values s of the states named of This sum um sum has an nn annual interest value of or 12 an all amount which might bo ho recovered and If applied to the tho proper 1110 1 scientific construction of roads In the fie United ignited States would In a a few rew years give us the most extensive and an l finest country road system In the tho world wo ii |
