Mr. ZIEGLER. I think there should be some revisions made in the bill, rather than adopting it as it is. Mr. CUNNINGHAM. What revisions do you recommend? Mr. ZIEGLER. Well, there seems to be some question on the distribution. I know there have been various suggestions for changes in that. Mr. CUNNINGHAM. You mean as to the formula? Mr. ZIEGLER. Yes. So far as the general intent of the bill, I would say that is fine. I wouldn't want to criticize it or go into it and discuss it word for word. Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Do you have anything in your statement in the way of a suggestion on how the formula should be changed? Mr. ZIEGLER. I have no suggestion as to the formula. We have discussed that. We knew there were going to be suggestions made here. So far as State highway funds are concerned, we feel that in Michigan, which today turns out one-eighth of the total war production of the country, with all of its industries using the highways so much, they are taking a terrific beating; we feel that Michigan's problem is very much more serious, possibly, than some other States where they haven't as much war traffic. Therefore, there isn't any question that Michigan has a more serious problem, similar, possibly, to some of these highly industrialized States. However, the formula, on the basis of one-third, one-third, one-third, would be satisfactory to Michigan. I listened to the suggestion of Mr. Baldock, of Oregon, yesterday. His formula would give a little more allotment to Michigan, which I believe would be somewhat in line with what Michigan needs. But Michigan does not feel we should complicate the situation any. I think the immediate need is to get this bill in shape for action, rather than argue about such little details. Mr. GOODWIN. You stress the desirability of new highways to open up new recreation centers and, as you put it, to make the present lakes and streams more accessible. Don't you think that as time goes on over the next 25 years, the State is going to be pretty happy and fortunate if it has some recreation grounds which are not too accessible, for the benefit of those sportsmen who like the lakes and streams that everybody cannot reach within a half hour? Mr. ZIEGLER. We in Michigan have had a very careful program covering that need. By making them accessible, I don't mean opening them up wide with a paved surface or a road every mile, or something of that nature. We have areas in Michigan at the present time to which it is almost impossible for the ordinary tourist to get. There are no facilities to reach the site. Mr. GOODWIN. Up in the State of Maine we used to revel in the fact that there were some places that were still reasonably inaccessible. A lake which was the mecca for tourists, who spent little effort to get there, then meant a buckboard ride of a couple of days, perhaps. Now, with a private plane, a helicopter, or a chartered plane, after this war is over, a man or a group can step right down on it and get a full day's sport in a day. I know that in New England, the playground of the world, so-called, there is really no frontier for the sportsman, everything is wide open, anybody can go in there. As Congressman Wolcott suggested yesterday, Massachusetts is bemoaning the fact that we have lost our industries, textiles, and shoe manufacturing, and there is only the tourist trade left. Somebody was unkind enough to say that tourists were the principal crop of New England, and we picked them green. That is not strictly true. But that is perhaps the one asset New England has left, the tourist trade, and we do suffer from the fact that there is no sportsman's frontier any longer. Mr. ZIEGLER. This same special session of the State legislature last month authorized the purchase of 43,000 acres of virgin timber. 'That is no good if you have absolutely no access. Now every man who goes in there has to set up his own way of getting in. If you could get them within reasonable distance-a day's ride by buckboard-that would be all right. But there won't be any roads built through this to in any way mar the land as it is today. But there are always certain facilities which have to be maintained to take care of people and keep contamination and fire out of the area. Mr. GOODWIN. But even with your program developed to the best you can hope for, you still expect to have some virgin recreation grounds? Mr. ZIEGLER. We are protecting those. Mr. GAVIN. I want to compliment the highway commissioner on his very excellent report, and I want to compliment the State of Michigan for sending us such a Representative as Jesse Wolcott. His work, not alone in this committee but in the House, deserves and has won for him the commendation of his colleagues in the Congress. You can take that message back from a Representative of the State of Pennsylvania to the State of Michigan-that we are proud of your Representative, Jesse Wolcott. Mr. ZIEGLER. I certainly will do that, with pleasure. The CHAIRMAN. We will now hear again from Mr. Cutler. FURTHER STATEMENT OF T. H. CUTLER, STATE HIGHWAY ENGINEER, STATE OF KENTUCKY Mr. CUTLER. Mr. Chairman, in the early stages of road development in Kentucky, the governing principles were quite different from those of today. The principal need for road improvement was to meet local requirements by constructing bridges and providing road surfaces for horse-drawn traffic; and, next, care of passenger cars traveling 25 to 30 miles per hour. It must also be remembered that during the early road-building era, road revenues were small in relation to the rapidly growing needs, and emphasis was placed on extending the surfaced mileage. Under present conditions where speeds are nearly double the early speeds and we have an increasing proportion of large commercial vehicles, we find the present highway system contains numerous deficiencies carried forward from the early period of construction in which the former design standards are today not adequate for the type and volume of traffic using the roads. In order to provide for adequate service of present-day traffic it is necessary to build higher-type surfaces, greater surface widths, stronger bridges, and to correct or eliminate deficiencies in curvature, sight distance, and grade. A survey of Kentucky's State road system in 1938 showed 3,959 grades steeper than 5 percent; and 61.2 miles of this had grades steeper than 8 percent. This survey showed 25,061 places with sight distance inadequate for safety; 2,309 miles with inadequate surfaces; 1,798 miles of main roads with inadequate surface widths; and 453 substandard bridges. To bring the Kentucky State highway system to present-day standards would require the following expenditures: Federal-aid highway system (rural) Total--- $79,532, 000 73, 971, 000 25, 534, COO 179, 037, 000 We realize that such sizeable funds will probably not be available. in the near future and have therefore concentrated on a program covering the most needed projects. This program would do many things. It would provide needed road work in every county in the State, thereby improving transportation conditions in every county, as well as providing jobs for men returning from the armed forces. It would correct the worst deficiencies in the present system, close gaps in present routes, extend rural roads to give service to communities not now served, and place dustless surfaces on all roads having an average traffic of 200 or more vehicles per day. It would provide for the modernization of the more heavily traveled routes; it would provide better facilities in, through, and around metropolitan centers. We have listed some 501 projects, totaling 3,004.2 miles, at an estimated cost of $115,745,000, including right-of-way. From these 501 needed projects we can select projects to utilize any amount of funds that can be allotted. This construction program could be completed in from 3 to 5 years with the funds made usable by this bill under consideration plus the State funds which will be available to match and supplement the Federal funds on the present basis. We are placing what engineering and right-of-way personnel we have on this modified program, and will supplement these engineering and right-of-way forces if the bill is passed as rapidly as men can be obtained. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Cutler. We now have a prepared statement from Mr. Sargent, of Vermont. STATEMENT OF HUBERT E. SARGENT, COMMISSIONER OF HIGHWAYS AND CHIEF ENGINEER, DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS, STATE OF VERMONT Mr. SARGENT. Mr. Chairman, in order to conserve the time of the committee instead of appearing before you in person I wish to submit. herewith the following statement on the "needed highway improve ments in Vermont." In 1940, as a result of our State-wide highway-planning survey, a program of needed improvements to the highways of Vermont was made. From this program it was estimated that it would take 10 years to carry out the required work. In having this program we are fortunate in that all the factual data and resulting plans for a post-war program are well under way; and all that remains to be done to have this program ready for construction is to make the surveys, plans, and estimates. The improvements needed on the Federal-aid system consist of 681 miles, at an estimated cost of $21,043,572. Fifty-five miles of this is for the hard surfacing of highways which are now gravel. Three hundred and twenty-four miles is for the reconstruction and replace ment of inadequate surfaces. Two hundred and seventy-five miles is for widening roads which are now too narrow. There are on the Federal-aid system 126 bridges which are inadequate to carry present-day loads and which will cost $2,677,400 to rebuild. The total estimated cost of improving the Federal-aid system-including the interregional system is $23,720,972, as shown in the following table: On the secondary system-including farm-to-market roads-our estimate covers improving 420 miles of highways at a cost of $12,165,783. Of this mileage 314 miles is for hard surfacing present gravel highways. There are on this system 140 bridges which need rebuilding in order adequately to carry the traffic, and these will cost $611,600 to construct. The total estimated cost of bringing our secondary system to present-day standards is $12,777,383, which is detailed in the following table: We are, at the present time, engaged in making surveys, detailed plans, and estimates for work to be done as soon as the war ends. Our engineering force is depleted by 80 percent so that our progress is not rapid. However, we should, by the time the war is over, have projects ready to contract to the extent of several million dollars. The CHAIRMAN. Next we have a statement by Mr. Barrows, of Maine. STATEMENT OF LUCIUS D. BARROWS, CHIEF ENGINEER, STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION, STATE OF MAINE Mr. BARROWS. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, the State of Maine has an area of 33,200 square miles and a population of 847,226. With an area equal to half of that of New England, and a population only slightly greater than the city of Boston, with difficult soil and climatic conditions, ours is the problem of maintaining a highway transportation system which includes 21,909 miles. Of this total mileage 2,988 miles have been designated as State highways; 6,301 miles have been classified as State-aid highways; 1,377 miles are designated third-class highways; 10,712 miles are town roads; and 131 miles are located in State or Federal reservation areas. The Federal-aid highway system of 1,676 miles is included in the State highway system. The Federal-aid secondary system, when approved, will follow important State, State-aid, and third-class roads. Outside of Federal-aid activities, the development of highway improvement in Maine has been largely the result of cooperative efforts between the State and the towns over a long period of years, particularly in the construction of secondary roads and bridges, and the maintenance of all classes of State roads, including snow removal. The State has cooperated with the Federal Government in all the highway activities made possible under the Federal Highway Act. As a result of these efforts, we have, at the present time, 2,923 miles of improved State highways; 5,294 miles of improved State-aid highways; and 1,209 miles of improved third-class roads-a total of 9,431 miles and 1.226 bridges, built under a special bridge act, and a bonded debt of $17,156,500, not including self-liquidating toll bridges. As we look forward into the post-war period, we know we shall immediately be confronted with the need of intense maintenance and of reconstructing many highways and bridges. Our needs will be: 1. To provide for an expanded program of maintenance for at least 2 years after the war. 2. To resume the construction and reconstruction of secondary roads and bridges. 3. To undertake the essential construction and reconstruction of State and Federal-aid highways on a plan which looks well into the future for its basic traffic needs and adjusted to our ability to finance. The first two items will provide substantial employment on needed work in every town in the State, with a minimum of preliminary arrangements and plans. There is great need of rebuilding many miles of secondary State roads in order to make them safer and more adequate for traffic. Many miles of these roads, together with bridges, constructed long ago, have gone beyond maintenance and must be re |