t. Tev'rf katm M immmt tUt brvorf track on a narrtrw country rood U 



' — ' Ufa. Y»t roudM this narrow ora common tfcro«9b- 



eot llflnels. 



Crosfini a weaK feo fctm hrUgm IHca ffcli makaa yoo 

 fcraotk and kaava • aigk of raVaf onca iftoa fcova 

 talHRf Mreagft. 



More Money Needed For Roads 



FINDINGS BY lAA ROAD COMMITTEE SUBSTANTIATE NEED FOR MORE FUNDS 



THE lAA Road Study Committee in 

 its investigation and study of rural 

 road problems found many facts 

 and figures to substantiate its rec- 

 ommendation that more money 

 must be raised if Illinois is to have an 

 adequate system of all-weather high- 

 ways. 



The committee consulted with out- 

 standing highway engineers, highway 

 officials, and men qualified by training 

 and experience to present important 

 phases of the highway system. Town- 

 ship commissioners and men from the 

 University of Illinois College of Engi- 

 neering, State Highway Department, 

 and County Highway Departments ap- 

 peared before the group. 



Although members of the study 

 group were interested primarily in rural 

 roads, the solution of problems pertain- 

 ing to these roads and their relationship 

 to those of the state, the county, and the 

 city streets, could be considered only 

 after a study of the problems facing 

 each of the other parts of the entire 

 highway system. Because they believe 

 that the economy of the state depends to 

 a great extent upon a complete system 

 of highways. 



According to the Illinois State High- 

 way Commission total mileage of the 

 highway system is 124.185 miles. Mile- 

 age of each division with the number of 

 miles deficient for present needs is as 

 follows: the primary or hard road sys- 

 tem contains 12,239 miles of which 6.- 

 231 miles are deficient now; the state- 

 aid or county system has 18.321 miles 

 with 14.163 miles deficient; the rural 



18 



road system contains 75.853 miles with 

 56,160 miles deficient and of this mile- 

 age 19.621 miles are unimproved earth; 

 the city street system consists of 17,772 

 miles with 11.205 miles deficient. 



The cost of correcting the total de- 

 ficiencies of the entire system is esti- 

 mated to be $6,892,261,638. This huge 

 sum is given not as an amount which is 

 thought can be raised but to point out 

 the fact that a sizeable task is ahead of 

 the people of Illinois if they are to have 

 adequate highway transportation in the 

 years ahead. 



Since the major solution of the road 

 problems lies in lack of sufficient reve- 

 nue, the lAA Road Committee suggested 

 that some of the money needed on the 

 roads could be had through economies. 

 One suggestion included consolidation 

 of existing road districts into larger 

 units by referendum upon petition. But 

 even with the greatest economy thus 



By CULLEN B. SWEET, Director 



lAA Rural Rood ImprevemanI 



Editor's Note: This article was written 

 before the lAA annual meeting. By the 

 time you read it, voting delegates to the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association annual 

 meeting will have acted upon the lAA 

 Road Study Committee Report. Their 

 action will be reported in the January 

 issue of the RECORD. It is evident, 

 however, from reasons set forth in this 

 article that more funds will be needed 

 to improve Illinois roads. 



effected, more money would have to be 

 raised to get the job done. The Road 

 Committee was of the opinion that the 

 most equitable method of raising the 

 additional funds was by increasing the 

 tax on gasoline because this money 

 would come from those who used the 

 roads and would receive the greatest 

 benefits therefrom. In view of the large 

 amount of deficient highways and the 

 cost thereof, the committee believes that 

 it will be necessary to raise the state 

 gasoline tax to get the job done. 



The present tax of three cents per 

 gallon on gasoline produced a net of 

 over $51,000,000 in 1948. This sum is 

 allocated to three parts of the highway 

 system with the primary or hard road 

 system receiving one-third, the county 

 or state-aid system one-third, and the 

 city or municipal street system one- 

 third. The rural road system receives 

 no part of the present tax. It did re- 

 ceive appropriations totaling $30,000.- 

 000 over a four year period, July 1945 

 to June 1949. 



Money raised from present taxes is 

 not adequate to meet demands made 

 upon the roads. Road construction, re- 

 construction or resurfacing, and main- 

 tenance is a continuoais process. A 

 highway begins to deteKorate immedi- 

 ately after construction through the use 

 that is made of it. Heavy traffic means 

 faster deterioration. Traffic is on the 

 increase on all parts of the highway 

 system. 



These facts convinced the Road Study 

 Committee that it would take a higher 

 (Continued on page 22) 



L A. A. RECORD 



DEC 



