DELAWARE
HGHWAYS
DAUGHERTY
STUDIES
1931
Daugherty,
University of Delaware economist, gives a history of road
building
the past 200 years, long before modern our highway system was
ever
thought of. The first attempt was an order of the New Castle
county
court
that each family furnish one member to work with the
construction.
The
next step, a hundred years later, was the act to build toll
roads or
turnpikes.
The federal government aided the building of 'permanent
turnpikes'
with it's “Good Roads Movement” and by 1917, creation
of
the Delaware State Highway Department.
The
duPont Boulevard was a gift to the state by a senator, Coleman
duPont,
a $3.917,000 turnpike, next Pierre S duPont spent $765,000
to
finish the turnpike from Wilmington to the Pennsylvania state
line.
It
was 1923 before a state tax was provided on gasoline to raise
funds
to carry on the highway program. Thee past 13 years the highway
department
has expended $ 3,509,000 of the revenue, some
$12,000,000
from bonds and gifts, a total near $20,000,000.
Daugherty
told an increase in traffic brought forth the demand for
a
cheaper method to handle increased transportation needs. This
method
was met by construction of canals along about 1820, later by
railroads,
in
1840.
When
the railroads came , interest in the “Good Roads Program” ,
including
the building of rural roads, fell off.
The
automobile came before an adequate highway system, local
country
roads were of imperfect engineering . The motor car licenses
fee
and federal government aided the building of rural roads.
1923
gas
tax the issue of bonds allowed by government for highway use
was
an advantage.
Abstract:
09/29/18 by Harrison H, from Wilmington News Journal
Saturday
September 12, 1931
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