42 ANNUM. RKPOUTS OF DJCrAKT.M KNT OK ACRK TLTrRR. 



five-year period, for the construction of rural post roads in cooperation 

 with the States, and $1,000,000 a year for a period of 10 years for the 

 buihlinfj of roads within or adjacent to the national forests. It soon 

 became apparent, however, that the sums apportioned to the various 

 States on the basis prescribed by the act would not be sufficient to 

 provide for the building of any considerable mileage of the more 

 durable types of roadways such as the traffic conditions in a large 

 number of the States demanded. After the signing of the armistice, 

 the feeling was prevalent that there might be a period of business 

 inactivity leading to a surplus of available labor and that a large 

 program of road construction would be very helpful in meeting the 

 situation. The Congress, therefore, acting upon the recommenda- 

 tion of the Secretary of Agriculture, amended the act, in February, 

 1919, by providing an additional appropriation of $200,000,000 for 

 rural post roads and $9,000,000 for national forest projects, and by 

 broadening a number of its provisions. 



PROJECTS APPROVED AND COMPLETED. 



In view of the abnormal conditions which have prevailed since the 

 summer of 1916, the progress that has been made in placing a large 

 highway improvement program under way is surprisingly good. In 

 the three years, 1917, 1918, and 1919, there were approved 677 proj- 

 ects, calling for the construction of 5,790 miles of road and involving 

 a total cost of $56,418,673, of which the Federal share was $23,931,618. 

 During the fiscal year 1920, 1,670 projects submitted by the States, 

 involving the improvement of 16,670 miles and a total allotment of 

 $109,830,366 of Federal funds, Avere approved. At the end of the 

 year, 14,940 miles of Federal-aid roads, on which $103,925,094 of 

 Federal funds had been allotted, were under consideration and in 

 various stages of completion, while 1,677 miles had been entirely com- 

 pleted. Preliminary engineering investigations have been made on 

 4,003 miles of forest roads and construction has been completed, or is 

 in progress, on 1,300 miles. 



CONSTRUCTION DIFFICULTIES. 



The work of actual construction has suffered from several causes, 

 which varied in intensity in the different States. They in- 

 clude: (1) The difficulty of securing transportation facilities for 

 road materials. During the season of 1920 the assignment of 

 open-top cars for transporting coal resulted in tying up and slow- 

 ing down many of the highway projects under construction. (9^ 

 The lack of materials, i^articularly cement, steel, and culvert pipe. 

 In general, the short supply of sand, gravel, crushed stone, and 

 other similar materials has been due to transportation difficulties 

 rather than to a shortage of production. (3) The lack of available 



