ECOlSrOMIC SUEVEYS OP COUNTY HIGHWAY IMPEOVEMENT. 83 



The marl-rock and limestone roads were surfaced to a width of 

 9 to 12 feet and were built in two courses. The first course was 6 

 inches in depth loose and the second course 3 inches loose. The 

 shell roads were surfaced to a width of 9 feet and to a depth of 12 

 inches loose. All rights of way were cleared to a width of 30 feet. 



The average cost of the 63.658 miles built, including culverts' and 

 bridges, was $3,966.50 per mile. The average cost per mile of the 

 shell road was $2,400; marl-rock macadam, $3,800; and flint-rock 

 macadam, $4,700 per mile. A contract let on April 21, 1911, con- 

 tains the following unit prices: Clearing and grubbing, $40 per acre; 

 grading, $0.10 per square yard; filling, $0.20 per cubic yard; marl in 

 place, $0.75 per cubic yard; stone in place, $3.25 per cubic yard; 

 screenings, $2.75 per cubic yard; sewer pipe in place, $0.70 per 

 linear foot; and concrete in place, $6 per cubic yard. 



HOW THE ROADS ARE MAINTAINED. 



The improved roads have not been systematically maintained. 

 The shells and marl rock of which most of the roads were built are 

 soft, and these materials have not stood up well. The finer materials 

 have worn and blown away and many of the roads are fuU of ruts and 

 depressions. Some of the worst places have been patched. About 

 17 miles of rock roads were surface treated with bituminous material 

 when they were constructed, but this treatment has not been renewed, 

 and practically all of the original surface has disappeared. 



The road from Manatee to Sarasota, about 10 miles, was resurfaced 

 in February, 1916, and treated with bituminous material. The 

 surface was scarified and shaped, after which a 2-inch layer of Hme 

 rock was apphed and rolled. By means of a pressure distributor 

 from 0.5 to 0.6 gallon per square yard of bituminous materials was 

 then applied and sanded. After about 10 days a second application 

 of bituminous material consisting of from 0.2 to 0.3 gallon per square 

 yard was apphed and sanded. The road was treated to a width of 10 

 feet and the work done by contract at a cost of 39 cents per square 

 yard, or a total cost of $2,288 per roile. This, as with all other main- 

 tenance work of the county, was paid for out of the regular road funds. 



The repair and maintenance work is done under the general direc- 

 tion of the county engineer and under the immediate direction of road 

 overseers. There are 13 road overseers in the county, whose pay is 

 $3 per day for time actually employed. Laborers employed for 

 patch and repair work receive $1.50 per day. For use in this work 

 the county owns a caterpillar tractor, 3 road graders, and 2 teams. 



EFFECT OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT ON LAND VALUES. 



It is difficult to determine what effect the road improvement has 

 had upon the increase in assessed valuation of property in the county, 

 but it might be well to compare the increase in valuation during the 



