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Show GOOD I ROADS BUILDING FEDERAL HIGHWAYS Mileage Nearly Sufficient to Encircle the Globe When Construction Is Finished. (Prepared by the United States Department Depart-ment of Agriculture.) Of the 22,030 miles of federal-aid roads which have been built or are now under construction, more than two-thirds are earth roads, sand-clay, or gravel, says the chief of bureau of public roads, United States Department Depart-ment of Agriculture. These have cost less than one-third of the total amount expended as compared with nearly 50 per cent of the estimated cost applied to 4,890 miles of hard-surfaced roads. A study of local conditions by an engineer of the bureau is necessary before a road project may receive federal aid. The type of road to be used and the I most suitable surface with respect to the traffic of the locality must be determined. de-termined. Service must be satisfactory, satisfac-tory, while costs must be kept low, both for building and maintenance. There must be a careful analysis both of the engineering and economic con-, ditions for each particular project. There are Individual considerations in every case which affect the determination determi-nation as to the best type of road materials ma-terials for that locality. The mileage of federal-aid roads which have been built or are now under un-der construction is nearly sufficient to encircle the globe. This is the record of Work accomplished since July, 1916, when the Federal government first stepped in to aid in the enormous task of building highways that are now called upon to carry more than 9,000,-000 9,000,-000 motor vehicles plus a very substantial sub-stantial horse-drawn traffic In tlv forty-eight states. The federal-aid law is well named. The Department of Agriculture has given giv-en the broadest possible construction to the law for the purpose of providing provid-ing the greatest mileage of highways suited to the traffic to be carried over them at the minimum expense. An analysis by the bureau of public roads of the projects under contract shows that all types of roads, from the graded earth road up to the finest paved surfaces, have been built. On March 1 of this year, 22,030 miles of highway, extending into every state, had been completed or were in process of construction;, says the bureau, bu-reau, at a total estimated cost of $361,-946,868. $361,-946,868. The percentage of this total Federal Road Being Constructed iNean tj Westfield, Mass. estimated cost which will be incurred for each type, and the. mileage oS ! each type, based upon the records oD I plans approved, are as folows : ! ! Per Cent and Mileage of Each Typn 1 of Road. ' Per cent ', of total I estimated ! coat MUeag, ' ype 1. including earth, ; sand-clay and gravel.. 32.2 16,3d ' Type 2, including water-bound water-bound and bituminous macadam 9.0 lifi2f Type 3, including brick, bituminous concrete, Portland cement concrete con-crete 48.8 St Miscellaneous 4.0 311 Bridie 6.0. 100.00 22.030 The states Initiate the road, projects, but before federal aid is granted an engineer of the bureau makes am inspection in-spection of the roads to be improved, studies the local condition consults with the state highway department, nnd no projects are appmwed which are not considered suitedi to the conditions con-ditions to be met. Man;? popular fallacies fal-lacies exist as to road: improvement, and there have been, many misconceptions misconcep-tions as to the types-of' roads on which federal-aid funds, may he used. Properly Prop-erly built earth riads, say specialists of the department, are the fundamental fundamen-tal requirement !n all highway im-nroVement. |