Economy of treated timber

“Modern highway bridges constructed of treated timber should not be confused with or compared to the timber bridge of a generation past, any more than other present types should be compared to their predecessors.”—article appearing in Better Roads, Jan. 1932.

State-wide numbering system

“The numbering and marking of county roads in Kansas will soon be complete throughout the state through the cooperative efforts of Kansas counties.” — article appearing in Better Roads, Feb. 1932.

Oil-mixed surface applied on Indiana road

“Mixed-in-place construction employing asphaltic road oil and local gravel as aggregate was used this summer to surfacing approximately five miles of the county road around Bass Lake in Starke County, Ind. The smooth, dustless completed surface has met with the complete approval of road users and dwellers in the vicinity.”—article appearing in Better Roads, March 1932.

Mr. A.K. Olsen, County Engineers report: Union County, Iowa

“Here are two statements bearing on the essential tools of road building—that can be pondered with profit by many county engineers”:

· “Motorized maintenance equipment is proving itself a money-saver in every way.”

· “Efficiency and economy cannot be achieved without an organization of experienced men.”

Preparing for winter

“Year by year the picture changes; annually there is recorded a greater mileage of roads open to traffic the year around. In truth, the cleared highway is a necessity and no longer a luxury.”

Organizing a New York county for snow removal

As a result of its geographical situation, Chautauqua County, N.Y. is subject to intense local snowstorms… (which) has necessitated the organization of an elaborate system of dispatching plowing equipment. Trucks and snowplows, the drivers of which can be reached at anytime by telephone, are stationed and held at strategic points….

The 1940s

The World War II era was a time when money for roads was scarce and uncertainty plentiful. Yet the need for mobilization and the anticipation of the end to the war when the country would boom made for a dilemma for government agencies and planners of the time.

January 1942—Less than 30 days after the United States enters World War II

When the January 1942 issue of Better Roads was published, the United States had just entered the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor less than a month earlier. Imagine the world then without CNN, the Internet and networks of instant communications!

From the editorial “Local Government in Wartime”

In his first editorial comment following the beginning of U.S. involvement in the war, in the January 1942 issue, less than a month after Pearl Harbor, Better Roads Editor C.M. Nelson wrote:

“In the new world we are getting adjusted to many readers of this magazine must be asking themselves questions…’ How will local governments come out of the war? Will they be stronger or weaker’? ‘Will citizens find their local governments more essential or less essential to the processes of American democracy?’”—Better Roads editor, C.M.Nelson