320 ANNUAL EEPORTS OP DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



showing the progress and status of road improvement in each State, 

 has been maintained by the office. 



COUNTY ECONOMIC STUDIES. 



The studies begun in 1910 and completed in 1914 for the purpose 

 of determining the economic results of road improvement in eight 

 selected counties were in manuscript form ready for publication at 

 the close of the year, but were held for some additional information 

 on assessed values of land in 1915. The bulletin will be issued before 

 the close of the calendar year 1915. 



STUDIES OF STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEMS. 



Studies of the organization, methods of operation, and results ac- 

 complished in the various State highway departments were continued 

 during the year, and the work was completed in the New England 

 States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Ken- 

 tucky, the purpose of the project being to issue a report or bulletin 

 as soon as studies have been completed for all of the States having 

 highway departments. ' 



STUDIES OF COUNTY ROAD MANAGEMENT, 



The investigation begun in 1914 of road management in selected 

 counties throughout the United States has been continued throughout 

 the year, and the project was about 40 per cent completed on June 

 30, 1915. County and township studies had been completed on that 

 date in Maine, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Caro- 

 lina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Texas, and 

 Montana. The ultimate purpose of this project is to issue a series 

 of bulletins explanatory of the systems of road management prevail- 

 ing in the various local units throughout the United States, and 

 indicating the lines along which best results may be obtained. 



ECONOMIC STUDY OF POST ROADS. 



Economic studies on each of the 17 post roads constructed under 

 authority of the act of Congress of August 24, 1912, have been made, 

 and in some instances a second or final study has been made after 

 the completion of the improvement. These studies will all be com- 

 pleted in the calendar year 1915, and will be embodied in a report to 

 be transmitted to Congress covering the post-road improvement. 



TRAFFIC STUDIES. 



A census of traffic has been taken on each of the 17 post roads for 

 a period of one week at 3-months intervals and an additional week 

 during the crop-moving period. The purpose of these traffic counts 

 is to determine the annual traffic on the road before and after im- 

 provement, expressed in ton-miles. It is planned that the traffic 

 counts on the post roads will be discontinued as rapidly as these 

 facts are ascertained. 



The census of traffic on the experimental roads constructed by 

 this office is taken for a 24-hour period every thirteenth day. At 



