Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1916 — THE COST OF ROADS [ARTICLE]

THE COST OF ROADS

It has already been made clear by experience that present methods of road building must give way tQ something more substantial. The present cost of maintenance is so heavy that for the state or average county to engage in road improvement on a large scale would mean bankruptcy. The new federal act which provides for government aid in the building of post roads promi *s to do much toward improving road construction methods. The i new act makes it necessary for a | state to have state supervisicm of j roads by means of a state highway commission before federal aid cam |be extended. This means that Indiana’s legislature must take action I n this important question at the ! next session if government money | is to be available for road building lin this state. Brick or concrete : make a more durable pavement than any other material and, while the initial cost is greater than macadam, the question of durability is a most important factor. This is shown by the Wall Street Journal’s figures on the cost of road maintenance in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey, Statistics show that in eight years the average cost per mile for the upkeep of roads built of concrete was but SSO a mile whereas for roads built of less durable material the cost of maintenance was S6OB a mile: The difference in the cost of upkeep, $558, if capitalized at 5 per cent, gives a principal sum of $11,160 as the differential capital advantage for the saving in upkeep. It is time to look at this road building question from a business point of view. *—Lafayette Journal.