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Show SURVEY NATION'S HIGHWAYS Aocurate Measurement of America's Net of Roadways Soon to Be Made by Government. (Prepared by the United States Department Depart-ment of Agriculture.) America's far-flung net of roadways is soon to be measured accurately in terms of mileage, cost, character of construction. Improvement work and general condition by the bureau of public roads of the United States Department De-partment of Agriculture. The survey, which is the most extensive ever undertaken un-dertaken and the first in seven years, is to be made with the aid of state and local officials and Individuals the country coun-try over, and Is comparable only to the great task of taking the national census. Nobody, in all probability, could guess today within millions of dollars what Ute roadways total, In dollars and cents, on the ledger of national assets. Nobody knows how many miles Uiere are where wheel may roll. Thf strength and the weakness of Uie na-Uon'6 na-Uon'6 transportation arteries likewise ore unknown In detail. When the survey is completed, all these .and other facts will be known and will be available for guidance to road builders. In addition there will be abundant data to show up comparisons com-parisons of costs. The well-built roads of, say, Pennsylvania can be laid, do! lar for dollar and mile for mile, alongside along-side the well-buiit roads of California and other states. First cost and main tenance of macadam, asphalt, concrete con-crete every kind of road built front one section can be matched againsl such costs from every other section, 1 desired. The way to make the dollar most effective in road work thus will be pointed out. Rural highways as well as urban are to be Included, the latter embra" ing all roads, streets and alleys in incorporated in-corporated conimunltles of 2,500 in Hard Surface Road Built in California Califor-nia by Federal and State Funds. habitants or more. How the funds are provided for constructing and maintaining main-taining roads also will be made known. The amount invested in road machinery ma-chinery an Item concerning which even approximate information is lacking lack-ing today will be sought. After the InformaUon is obtained it will be kept up to date. In undertaking the survey, the bureau bu-reau requests the assistance of every unit of government doing road work in the nation ; of road officials the country over; and of associations, organizations or-ganizations and individuals, down to the man with a flivver, having information infor-mation or data as to local highway activities. As future legislation may be based on percentage of road mileage, mile-age, it Is pointed out that it is essential essen-tial for each unit to have its total, as well as its Improved, road mileage carefully and correctly recorded in the survey. |