Clay County, Missouri - Chapter 19: Road Building, 1920

NEEL» OF OOOLi ROADS - MOVEMK.NT iN CLAY COUNTY IN ISlie - $1,250,000.00 BONt>8 VOTED - WORK DELAYED BY WORLD WAIt - COD. E. M. STAYTON IN CHARGE - WORK ACCOMPDISHED AND IN I'ROGKESS - HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND STATE COOPERATES IN GOOD ROADS BUILDING

How true it is that no one needs good road.s quite so badly as thie progressive and up-t^j-date fanner. The up-hill and muddy roads fall heavily on him; and the longer the distances he must haul hLs produce and his supi^lies over had road.s, the heavier and more grievous the burden. Better roads makes inciease in land values, and invite the very be.st class of citizenship. The best of farming calls for quick and cheap transportation; the people of enterprise must have schools and churches that are easily accessible; the people of this day and generation are gregarious and .social, and demand good road facilities so that the country residents will not be hampered in .social intercourse and enjoyment. Scarcely a family in Clay County is without an automobile, and trucks for the transportation of the products of the farms to markets are increasing in numbers. It is a rare occurrance to see a vehicle drawn by horses upon our public roads. Old Dobbin ha.s p)-actically been relegated to simple labor in fields at home. The people of Clay County, in the spring of 1916, held meetings in various parts of the county to get an expression of the people as to their views as to a proper time to commence the bruilding of rock or turnpike roads in the county, and if then was the right time, how much money would they be willing should be expended for that purpose. A government official gave an e.stimate of $1,2.50,000.

From the concensus of opinion thus obtained, it was believed that the people would willingly vote over $1,000,000 for such kinds of roads to be built in the county.

On June 26, 1916, an election was held, and the people, by an overwhelming majority, voted bonds to the amount of $1,250,000, be issued to erect turnpike roads in different parts of the county. Soon the World War was declared and plans for the construction of the roads were delayed. As soon, however, as the armistice was signed, and our soldiers had returned to their homes, the county court employed as chief engineer of the roads to be built, Col. E. M. Stayton, of Jackson County, a colonel of engineers in France, with our army of occupation; no more capable man could have been found in the State. For more than a year up to August 1920, Col. Stayton and his assistants have graded a large part of the roads to be built, and also aided by the efficient and worthy county engineer and surveyor. Earl Denny, the roads thus far graded, will be completed during the year 1921. As the work progresses, the state and government contribute to the end in view. Already the county has received from this source $54,357.58, and as the work goes on, so the state and government contribute stated stipends, and will continue to make the contributions until really the roads are completed. The time is not far distant when Clay County will have the best system of roads in the state. All that is needed for full and ample transportation, quick and serviceable, is the completion of these roads, which, coupled with the service of the Kansas City, Clay County and St. Joseph Railroad, an electric road now doing an immense business between Kansas City, Liberty and Excelsior Springs, and Kansas City and St. Joseph, is all that is needed to make Clay County the most desirable location in the State for agricultural and other pursuits.

In spite of the delays incident to the prosecution of the greatest wars; in the face of strikes which have crippled the transportation systems of the country and reduced the output of necessaiy materials of construction to a degree unprecedented in the history of the nation, the program of co-operative highway construction, laid down in 1916, has been adhered to and the results which have been obtained thus far stamp the plan as an unqualified success.

departments in seventeen states, which previously had either no state department at all or which had departments insufficiently equipped to perform necessary functions. In one year, after the passage of the act, more constructive state highway legislation was placed upon the statute books than had ever before been enacted in the history of the country in a similar period, and a condition was brought about which otherwise would not have been reached in five or ten yeai-s. This legislative activity was a direct consequence of the conditions imposed upon the states by the federal aid act.

The insistence of the government upon the construction of federal aid I'oads under the supervision of engineers of the state departments has resulted in the placing of more and more of the road work of the country under skilled supervision. In 1915, the year before the federal aid act was passed, only 30 per cent of the expenditure for roads and bridges built in the United States were expended under the supervision of state highway departments. This year the state departments will exercise control over fully 80 per cent of the large sums that will be spent for road construction.

In 1915 the total expenditure for roads and bridges by all the states and local governments was only $287,000,000. This year it is estimated that the funds available for main road construction are approximately $633,000,000. The willingness of the public to appropriate these greatly ina-eased sums is largely traceable to the confidence which has been inspired by the creation and strengthening of the state highway departments, the immediate cause of which was the federal aid act.

The manner in which the large sums of federal money have been apportioned among the states is an accomplishment which has seldom been referred to, but it should be, nevertheless, a source of gratification to all the agencies which have co-operated in the work. In all, the sum of $266,750,000 has been divided among forty-eight states to the entire satisfaction of all interests involved, and without the slightest suggestion of impropriety or the least suspicion of favoritism.

The actual road operations under the act thus far involve the approval of projects the aggregate length of which would span the distance between New York and San Francisco nine times, and the estimated cost of which is greater than that of the Panama canal. Under construction at the present time there are 15,944 miles of road, equivalent in

Sixty per cent of the total allotment of federal funds which has been approved to date will be spent for roads of such durable type as bituminous concrete, Portland cement, concrete and vitrified brick; and these roads when they are built will increase by 7,600 miles the total of 14,400 miles of roads of the class which existed in the whole UniJted States the year before the enactment of the federal aid law.

In their contract with the government the states have given assurance that every mile of road constructed will be properly maintained; in fact, the requirements of the federal aid act have been directly responsible for the enactment of laws in a number of states providing specifically for the maintenance of all roads constructed, whether with or without federal aid.

Under the law the secretaiy of agriculture is charged with the administration of the provisions of the federal aid act. He in turn has delegated the duty of caring for the details of administration to the bureau of public roads. This bureau was at the time of the passage of the act, and is now, in closer touch with the highway situation and requirements of the country as a whole than any other agency in the United States. Under any other agency federal operation would have been delayed to permit of the acquisition of necessary pieliminary data, which the bureau of public roads had at hand, ready to utilize without delay.

The organization under the chief of the bureau of public roads, which cares for the details of the administration of federal ai|d funds, consists of a headquarters force headed by the chief engineer in the Washington office, and thirteen district engineers in charge of the work in thirteen groups of states. The districts vary in size. One embi-aces only one state, Califomia; others include four or five states; the largest one includes eight states. The district engineers are assisted by a number of engineers who have supervision over sections of the disti'ict work. Where the work is sufficiently heavy to wan-ant it, one or more resident engineers have been placed in a state. In other districts, men are assigned by the district engineer to cover special states, but do not have headquarters in those states. These men are authorized to approve slight changes in plans which become necessary as the work progresses, such as changes in the size of waterways, location of culverts, slight changes in grade and alignment, and even more important changes, providing they do not involve the government in additional expense. By tims making it possible to effect minor engineering adjustments on the ground, a great deal of time is saved, which would be lost if it were necessary to refer such matters to Washington.

The federal aid act requires that projects for federal aid be initiated by the states. As the first step, a statement is forwarded to the district engineer in authority, announcing, in effect, that the state proposes to build a piece of road of a certain type and length in a certain location. This statement is known as the project statement, and it ils always accompanied by an approximate estimate of the cost of the proposed construction. The project statement is examined by the district engineer with the puiTiose of determining whether the project complies with the federal aid road act. If, i)n his opinion it does, he forwards the statement to the Washington office with his recommendation. It is there examined by the chief engineer and his assistants, and, if the chief engineer concurs in the recommendation of the district engitneer, the project is placed before the secretary of agriculture by the chief of the bureau, with the recommendation of the bureau, for his approval.

Until the secretary has signified that the United States will cooperate, no further action is taken by the state. If the secretary approves, the state is so notified, and it then proceeds to prepare detailed plans, specifications and estimates for the work. According to recent reports over half of the projects handled are passed by the district offices in an average of five days. Greater delay at this stage is generally due to the necessity for careful investigation to determine whether the road proposed is of sufficient importance to warrant the expenditure of federal money upon it. When these doubtful points are cleared up the prompt passage of the project to approval by the secretary is practically assured, as is shown by the fact that 90 per cent of all projects received at Washington are passed by the bureau in an average of four days.

After the plans and specifications have been prepared by the states they are submitted to the district engineers, together with a revised estimate of cost based on the carefully computed quantities of work to be done. A representative of the district engineer, either the federal engineer resident in the state or one especially assigned, makes an inspection of the site of the proposed work, and on this inspection the district engineer bases his recommendation for approval or disapproval of the plans. Very frequently the federal engineer does not wait until the plans are completed, but goes, over the road to be built with the state engineer, pencil profile in hand, and he is often able in this way to suggest changes in the plans as contemplated which facilitate their approval when they are completed.

As soon as the plans, specifications and estimates are recommended for approval by the district engineer the state may advertise for bids and let the contract. There may be minor adjustments and changes to be made in the plans before they are finally approved by the secretary, but generally speaking the states do not wait for all these matters to be cleared up before they initiate work on the project. The records of the bureau of public roads show that the plans, specifications and estimates for over half of the projects are passed through the district offices in an average of five and one-half days and about 90 per cent receive the approval of the chief engineer in three and one-half days. Delays at this stage of the project are generally due to difference of judgment which are serious enough to be given special consideration.

After the plans, specifications, and estimates have been approved, the co-opei-ation of the government is practically assured. The signing of the foiTTial project agreement follows in due course, but it is not necessary that the work be delayed pending this foiTnality. The authority granted by the secretary to proceed with construction before the formal completion of the agreement has practically removed all cause for criticism of the government on the ground of delay.

To cover the cost of administrative work of the government, an amount not to exceed 3 per cent of the total appropriation for federal aid is reserved. As the total cost of fedei*al aid projects is more than twice the amount of the federal aid apportionment to them, the administrative allowance is really less than li/i per cent of the total cost of the roads constructed.

Up to June 30, 1920, 2,985 projects involving a total of 29.319.3 miles of road had been approved by the secretary of agriculture. The preliminary estimate of the cost of these projects is $384,916.819..53, of which $163,841,503.93 will be approved as federal aid. On the same date 2,116 projects, representing approximately 15,944 miles, had either been completed or were under construction. The estimated total cost of these projects in various stages of construction and completion is $200,000,000.