ECONOMIC SURVEYS OF COUITTY HIGHWAY IMPEOVEMENT. 57 



at $12 per week. Thes^ report to the county superintendent, who 

 is supplied with an automobile furnished by the county board of 

 supervisors, and directly supervises all engineering, construction, 

 and maintenance work on county roads. 



CONSTRUCTION COSTS. 



Previous to 1910, all State and county highways in Franklm 

 County were constructed of plain water-bound macadam. In 1 9 1 0-1 1 

 the bituminous-njacadam penetration method was used on State and 

 county highways. The width between ditch lines on State highways 

 is 32 feet, the road surface is 16 feet, and the depth of material is 

 6 inches. County highways are 26 to 28 feet between ditches, with 

 the macadam 14 feet wide and 6 inches thick. 



The stone-surfaced county roads built from bond-issue funds were 

 surfaced to a width of 10 feet and to a depth of 6 inches, and the 

 gravel roads to 1 2 feet in width and 7 inches in depth. The average 

 width of county roads between. ditch lines is 22 feet. 



The town highways are usually surfaced with gravel to a width of 

 9 or 10 feet. The average cost per mile of the various classes of roads 

 is shown in Table 17. 



Table 17. 



State higliwayB (bituminous macadam) $12, 000 



County highways (bituminous macadam) 11, 000 



County roads: 



Macadam 3, 000 to 4, 000 



Gravel 1, 900 to 2, 500 



Town highways: 



Macadam 1, 800 to 4, 000 



Gravel 1, 500 



•The above costs include bridges and culverts under 5-foot span. 

 All culverts under 5-foot span are built by the towns, counties, or 

 State, as the case may be, but all bridges over 5-foot span are built 

 by the towns. 



An examination of the bridge and culvert situation shows that 

 from 1911 to 1913 the number of wooden bridges decreased from 

 407 to 355. Stone bridges decreased during that same period from 

 27 to 6. The number of concrete bridges increased from 62 to 112, 

 and iron bridges from 179 to 192. Concrete culverts increased from 

 168 m 1911 to 816 in 1913. (See Plate XXL) 



The condition of some of the county roads before and after im- 

 provement is shown by Plate XX. 



During the construction period common labor cost $1.75 per day; 

 teams with driver, $4.25; foremen in charge of sections, $3.50; 

 subforemen, $2.50 to $3; roller operators, $2.50 to $3; transit men, 

 $3 and expenses; chain men and helpers, $1.50. 



