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needed, not observing township lines. (2) Bridges would be 

 more adequately financed by the county, wiiereas the cost of 

 the construction of a bridge might be a crusiiing load for a 

 township. (3) Adequate equipment could be operated from 

 i^trategic locations in the county for both construction and 

 maintenance the year around, instead of but a few days or 

 weeks each year by the township. 



(4) Trained men, efficient in their fields of operations, 

 paid adequate salaries, would be given employment as ad- 

 ministrators and operators. (5) Contracts could be awarded 

 for much larger units and costs be reduced thereby. (6) 

 There would be unity of construction and maintenance of all 

 secondary roads through the county. 



(7) All roads would be more equally financed because 

 of the larger tax base. (8) Adequate buildings for housing 

 and repair of equipment could be built. (9) There would 

 l)e less division of authority. 



Summarizing its recommendations, the report of the 

 lAA Hoad Study Committee says: "The citizens of Illinois 

 want good roads. The citizens of each county and road dis- 

 trict should study their road problems and agree as to their 

 needs. Basic control of the road systems should remain in 

 the hands of the people living on them. Additional revenue 

 is necessary. *• 



"Present surveys and observations." the summary con- 

 tinues, "indicate that many county and local road district 

 bridges are in need of reconstruction or major repairs. At 

 least a part of this work should be paid for by highway-user 

 revenue. Township road districts and road districts in com- 

 mission governed counties should receive state grants for 

 roads and bridges on a permanent long-range basis. Any 

 future state grants made to counties or road districts should 

 be allocated on the basis of mileage. Any future state as- 

 sistance should be allocated to road districts in such a manner 

 as to encourage road district organization for greater effi- 

 ciency. 



"Tlie present motor fuel tax. collected from highway 

 users, should be increased three cents on each gallon. Addi- 

 tional revenue from this increase in tax should be allocated 

 as follows: l/j cent to the state division of highways for pri- 

 mary road purposes; yi cent to cities; Vi cent to counties; 1 

 cent to road districts; lA cent to be used for replacement or 

 road district bridges. 



The territory administered by a single unit of the high- 

 way organization should be large enough to produce a suffi- 

 cient amount of work to justify the full-time emplovment of 

 competent personnel; to warrant the expenditure of money 

 for the purchase of adequate machinery; and be able to 

 give road ser\'ice on an economical basis. 



Serious consideration should be given by each cotmty 

 to the reorganization of existing road districts into single 

 county unit districts in charge of a county road board. Legis- 

 lation should be enacted permitting counties to form county 

 unit road districts by referendum. Present axle and gross 

 weight limits should be rigidly enforced. 



A system of weighing stations strategically located 

 should be set up to aid enforcement of the gross weight reg- 

 ulations. It is urged that the University of Illinois and 

 the state division of highways institute an adequate program 

 of research on the problems of materials, design, con- 

 strurtion. and maintenance of secondary farm-to market 

 roads. 



Members of the lAA Road Study Committee are: K. 

 T. Smith. Greenfield, chairman; Homer Curtiss. Stockton, co- 



The top and bottom pictures be/ow I/fustrate the dangers of taT% 



meeting on bottleneck roads and bridges. Center picture shows 



how hazardous a bad bridge con be to the children who have 



to cross If 360 times a year on their way to and from school. 



chairman; Lyman Bunting. Kllery; Lane CIaj)saddle. Earl- 

 ville; Guy Gee. Forrest; Edwin (iumm. Calesburg; Mark 

 Harry. Humbolt; Ronald Holt. (»alva; Kmory Irwin. Peters- 

 burg; Erwin Isenberg. Alhambra; Herbert R. Kiltz. Wood- 

 stock: Rav 15. Litchfield. Toluca; (^uav Matthews. Alvin; 

 Virgil Milner. Fairfield; Floyd E. Morris. Buffalo; FA 

 Niehaus. Butler; Loyd Pirkard. Thompsonville: George 

 Reigle. Oblong: Robert Schubert. Mt. Carroll; and S. S. 

 Stetson. Reynolds. 



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OCTOBER, 1949 



