Opportunity was also taken to make an inspection of the highway work in Oregon and Washington for the purpose of obtaining comparative data on the various types of roads constructed in these two states.

Every effort has been made to arrive at basically sound conclusions in digesting and analyzing the detail of this investigation and advantage has been taken of important contributions to highway engineering literature in comparing ultimate conclusions.

It has been the effort of the writers to give credit in every instance to those authorities from whom data or information has been obtained or from whose articles contributory facts have been utilized.

The report is divided into three parts as shown in the index and this index will be followed in regular order in the succeeding pages.

PART I

2. THE VARIOUS HIGHWAY ACTS AND FUNDS AND THE STATE

State Highways Act of 1909

HIGHWAY SYSTEM

2.1

With the enactment of this law in March, 1909, a system of State Highways for California was designated to be constructed and acquired at a cost not to exceed eighteen million dollars. A "State Highway Fund" was created in and for the State Treasury to which all moneys from the sale of highway bonds were to be credited. Such money was designated to be “used exclusively for the acquisition of rights of way for and construction of said system of State Highways." The route or routes of said highways". . . to be selected by the Department of engineering... as to constitute a continuous and connected State Highway system running north and south through the State, traversing the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys and along the Pacific Coast, by the most direct and practicable routes, connecting the county seats of the several counties through which it passes and joining the centers of population, together with such branch roads as may be necessary to connect therewith the several county seats lying east and west of such State Highway.

It is further stipulated that "the highway constructed or acquired under the provisions of this act shall be permanent in character," the exact character or type of pavement being left to the judgment of the Department of Engineering.

A further stipulation enacted that each county in the State should pay into the State Treasury such sums each year as would equal the interest at the rate of four per cent per annum upon the entire sum of money expended within such county in the construction of said highway, less such portion of said amount expended as the bonds matured . . . shall bear to the total number of bonds sold and outstanding.

At the general election in November, 1910, this act was ratified by vote of the people and became effective December 31, 1910, and $18,000,000.00 became available in bonds for the construction of a State Highway system.

The program of construction contemplated in laying out this system of highways is clearly shown in black lines on Map No. 1 following and tabulation accompanying same and, on the map, the actual mileage of this original system of graded and paved highways completed to June 30, 1920, is designated. The mileage completed with the original $18,000,000.00 totaled in round figures approximately 1,100 miles of paved road and 400 miles of graded highway, the latter with culverts and other incidental structures.

State Highways Act of 1915

2.2

This act of May, 1915, approved by the voters at the general election in November, 1916, provided an addition to the bonded debt of the State in the sum of $15,000,000.00. Of this amount $12,000,000.00 was to construct uncompleted portions of the originally planned system and $3,000,000.00 for the acquisition, construction and improvement of certain extensions from said system of State Highways. The additional roads to be constructed are expressly described in the Act and are clearly shown in heavy black lines on Map No. 2 and tabulation accompanying. Red and orange lines designate the paved and graded portions of the new roads completed to date.

It was provided, however, "that expenses of the acquisition, construction and improvement of the extensions enumerated . . . . shall be partly borne by the county or counties in which such extensions lie; the extent and character of such division of expenses between the State and county shall rest for final determination with the State Department of Engineering. . . . ."

It is to be noted that $2,000,000.00 worth of bonds of this issue remain unsold at this date.

State Highways Act of 1919

2.3

This Act merely extended the funds for the completion of the highways contemplated under the two preceding acts by the addition of $20,000,000.00 to the highway funds for this purpose and an additional $20,000,000.00 for the construction of the roads shown on Map No. 3 following and accompanying tabulation. Other than surveys, no work has been started on these additional roads.

Of this $40,000,000.00, on June 30, 1920, there remained unsold bonds to the amount of $37,000,000.00 If to this be added the $2,000,000.00 unsold bonds remaining in the second highway issue, the highway fund is found to consist of $39,000,000 in bonds as of June 30, 1920

*Route 30 has been abandoned, and Route 21 extended to cover approximately same

mileage.