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AMOUNT AVAILABLE FOR FEDERAL HIGHWAY ROADS

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. None of the work which will be done under access roads is of the same character as is to be done under this $40,000,000 request, is it?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. In other words, there is apparently a comparison here between $100,000,000 this year and $60,000,000 next year. Mr. MACDONALD. That is right.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Is any of that difference reflected in access roads that will be built under the access roads appropriation?

Mr. MACDONALD. Not access roads, but other defense roads, on the strategic network. Practically every mile of the strategic network is a main-line route.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. What funds are those being built out of? Mr. MACDONALD. In the going program, out of the regular Federal aid, plus State funds.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Not out of this $60,000,000?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir; in part.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. What I am trying to ascertain is whether in the current fiscal year the $100,000,000 can be fairly compared with $60,000,000 which you are asking for the next fiscal year, or are these other funds available?

Mr. MACDONALD. The additional program will be from the special funds for defense roads.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. The Federal highway system will be built-
Mr. MACDONALD. The additional program will be from other funds.
Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. What funds?

Mr. MACDONALD. The funds provided under the Defense Highway Act of 1941.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Already provided?

Mr. MACDONALD. Already provided. For access roads, $150,000,000 has been authorized. The supplemental appropriation act approved December 17, carries $125,000,000-$75,000,000 in cash and $50,000,000 of contractual authorization. There is also authorized $25,000,000 for strategic network, to be apportioned and $25,000,000 unapportioned to the States for the strategic network roads.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. So there is $50,000,000 available for Federal highway roads of this character?

Mr. MACDONALD. $50,000,000; yes; for the same class of certified projects as the $60,000,000.

USE OF CURRENT ESTIMATE FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE PROJECTS

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. One other question on this item. Do I understand that all of this $60,000,000 that you are requesting, if approved, will be used for national-defense roads, roads deemed necessary for national-defense purposes?

Mr. MACDONALD. Every dollar that is expended for new projects will be used for that purpose. We are unable to determine with the same high degree of accuracy, with which we are usually able to predict, the extent to which the States will provide State funds to match with this $60,000,000 for certified defense projects. For the first time in

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many years we are frankly somewhat puzzled as to the exact amount required. We may need more than the $60,000,000, if we have more than that amount of strategic network projects certified. But we think this amount is reasonably indicated under the existing limitations on expenditures.

Mr. STARNES. Mr. MacDonald, was any consideration given to the fact that in many of the States we have large cantonments training forty or fifty or sixty thousand troops under our training program, and therefore the roads in that particular State, in that particular area, would be given an unusual test by virtue of the amount of traffic that would go over them? Did you take into consideration that fact in making the allocation of funds in your Federal-aid system here?

Mr. MACDONALD. The allocations to the States of Federal-aid authorizations are in accordance with the formula laid down by Congress. We do not determine that.

Mr. STARNES. You did not change that formula in making the allocations for this $60,000,000 expenditure?

Mr. MACDONALD. No, sir; but the States do obtain, under the new Defense Road Act, the benefit of a higher pro rata of Federal participation; that is, we had formerly the basis 50-50 division of construction costs. Under the new law, on any projects built on the strategic system, the ratio will be 75-25, so that if a State had a number of military centers in it, more projects would be certified and therefore the State would participate to a greater degree.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Did they not eliminate that in Congress, the allocation to certain States, leaving it up to the Administrator as to which would be more necessary?

Mr. MACDONALD. The $25,000,000 item for the strategic network and the access roads funds are not apportioned among the States by any formula.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. That is what I say; it is not allocated at all. That is left up to the administration as to where it is more necessary to spend the money.

Mr. STARNES. Will you set out in the record the proposed allocation of the $60,000,000 by States?

Mr. MACDONALD. It is impossible to do that now, because the allocation will depend upon the certified projects as they come in from the States. Up to the limit of the State authorization, however, any State that is willing to spend the 25 percent will be able to get its entire apportionment.

Mr. STARNES. I understood you to say heretofore that you have been able to do that; you have been able to determine with a reasonable degree of accuracy the allocation by States, and if I recall correctly, our records heretofore have shown that allocation.

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes. I can show the allocation of the authorization by States, but this is a cash expenditure.

Mr. STARNES. You will not be able to show that with any degree of accuracy?

Mr. MACDONALD. No, sir.

Mr. HENDRICKS. That would depend upon the immediate. necessity, would it not?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes. But that does not mean that any State will ultimately lose any of its apportioned funds. This $60,000,000 is an appropriation to provide the funds to cover the authorizations that were allocated to the States upon the formula basis.

Mr. STARNES. And you will supervise the spending of this $60,000,000? Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir.

Mr. STARNES. You stated a moment ago that you would have $50,000,000 additional to spend where you could take into consideration special circumstances existing in particular areas, brought about by our defense program?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir; $25,000,000 for the strategic network to be allotted to all the States and $25,000,000 not allotted to all the States.

Mr. STARNES. Who supervises the spending of that $25,000,000? Mr. MACDONALD. Under the law that can be allocated by the Federal Works Administrator for projects on the strategic network. Mr. STARNES. In other words, the Federal Works Administrator will handle that money, and not the Army?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir; but only on projects that are certified by the War or Navy Departments.

Mr. STARNES. What I am trying to drive at is this. The supervision over the expenditure of this money, the letting of the contracts and supervision over the carrying out of those contracts will be by the Public Roads Administration?

Mr. MACDONALD. It will all be by the Public Roads Administration.

Mr. STARNES. That is what I was trying to get at.

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir; there is one other provision that partially answers your former question. The States, under the Defense Road Act, may make claims on account of roads that are damaged by the maneuvers of the Army. So that in that respect, they would also receive special consideration.

Mr. STARNES. And that fund will be administered by the Public Roads Administration, also?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir.

Mr. STARNES. And handled in the regular, routine manner, which you indicated a moment ago?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir.

Mr. HENDRICKS. You say that the States will be able to make claims for damages. What about States that cooperated in putting in roads before they had any allocation from Public Roads? You remember that Florida in the case of Camp Blanding had such a problem. Are they getting any consideration?

Mr. MACDONALD. They had some Federal funds in that, some W. P. A. funds, and they will be able to obtain an adjustment on the 75-25-percent basis for anything that was built on the strategic network as a Federal-aid project after May 27, 1941.

SUPERVISION OVER MATERIALS USED

Mr. HOUSTON. Who determines the type of pavement to be laid down, whether it is to be 4 or 6 or 8 inches? I have in mind a $2,000,000 bill that was presented on account of damages caused by maneuvers of the Army. Who determines the type of pavement that goes down over these highways-the State highway department?

Mr. MACDONALD. Those particular roads-in the case you have in mind-were very largely secondary and third-class roads that were surfaced with local materials, such as sand and clay and gravel. You are speaking of Louisiana?

Mr. HOUSTON. Yes.

Mr. MACDONALD. Probably the bill is quite excessive, but we are examining it now.

Mr. HOUSTON. Who does determine the type of pavement?

Mr. MACDONALD. The State highway department prepares plans and specifications for all Federal aid projects, and these are approved by the district engineer of the Public Roads Administration acting under the general supervision of the Division of Design.

INTER-AMERICAN HIGHWAY

Mr. WOODRUM. The next item, on page 171, is the Inter-American Highway, as follows:

For all necessary expenses to enable the President to utilize the services of the Public Roads Administration in fulfilling the obligations of the United States under the Convention on the Pan-American Highway between the United States and other American Republics, signed at Buenos Aires, December 23, 1936, and proclaimed September 16, 1937 (51 Stat. 152), for the continuation of cooperation with several governments, members of the Pan American Union, in connection with the survey and construction of the Inter-American Highway as provided in Public Resolution, approved March 4, 1929 (45 Stat. 1697), as amended or supplemented, and for performing engineering service in pan-American countries for and upon the request of any agency or governmental corporation of the United States, $100,000 to be derived from the administrative funds provided under the Act of July 11, 1916, as amended or supplemented (23 U. S. C. 21), or as otherwise provided.

Mr. MACDONALD. The purpose of this authorization is to pay the salaries and expenses and other necessary expenses of engineers and their assistants in connection with the Inter-American Highway and for assistance in connection with loans to the Central and South American countries made by the Export-Import Bank. No additional appropriation is involved, the expenditures being made from the reg ular administrative funds made available to the Public Roads Administration under the Federal Highway Act.

ENGINEERING ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE FURNISHED IN CONNECTION WITH THE PAN-AMERICAN HIGHWAY PROJECTS

As of June 30, 1941, there has been appropriated over a period of 8 years, $374,000 for engineering advice and inspection on the Pan American Highway, including the preparation of plans for projects and a limited amount of surveys for road construction.

In 1934 an appropriation of $1,000,000 was made for the purchase of American equipment, materials, and supplies to be used in the cooperative construction of highways and bridges with the countries between Mexico and Panama. This total amount of $1,374,000 has been expended in the several countries of Central America and Panama on cooperative undertakings, to which the corresponding countries have substantially contributed.

Of the appropriation for cooperative construction, 73.7 percent was spent for products of the United States and services, such as steamship and rail transportation. Omitting engineering which, as already stated, was furnished by the United States, the total contribution of the United States toward the construction charges on cooperative projects was $778,426, and the contribution of the several cooperating Countries totals $676,291. In other words, the other governments

have contributed almost dollar for dollar on the construction projects carried out under the first appropriation for such work.

With the funds thus furnished by the United States Government, supplemented by the contribution toward construction made by the other countries, the following projects have been completed: 13 bridges, 20 feet or more in length; 2 bridges less than 20 feet long; 5 special bridge surveys and plans; 7 bridge investigations with surveys; 4 road surveys, totaling 123 miles; 4 road reconnaissance surveys, totaling 162 miles; 3 sections of road construction, totaling 55.5 miles; and 12 standard bridge plans.

Incident to the development of a military airport, approximately 85 miles northwest of the Panama Canal, the Government of the United States appropriated $1,500,000 toward the completion of a concrete road from the Canal Zone boundary to the airport. The Government of Panama negotiated a loan with the Export-Import Bank of Washington of $2,500,000 toward the construction of this same road. Work is now in progress, and the Congress has recently appropriated an additional $873,000 for the completion of this road to the Rio Hato Airport.

Incident to the extension of the defense of the Panama Canal, the completion of a highway across the Isthmus has been considered essential by both the Army and the Navy, and allotments from defense funds amounting to $3,625,000 have been made for this purpose. To implement the last treaty with the Republic of Panama, Congress appropriated $375,000 for the construction of a highway between Colon and the Canal Zone boundary in the vicinity of France Field. This road will be a necessary part of the Trans-Isthmian Highway. The entire construction of this road is under the Public Roads Administration, although it lies wholly within the Republic of Panama, following roughly the Canal Zone boundary.

An extension of this road with an independent bridge crossing over the Chagres River from the vicinity of Madden Dam to the city of Panama is now proposed. It will serve both to provide an independent transisthmian highway and relieve traffic through the established military reservations in the Canal Zone, and at the same time furnish a main highway for access roads for direct military service in the vicinity of the Canal. The Public Roads Administration has been requested to make surveys and to design the necessary bridges for the construction of this additional section of road, approximately 25 miles long.

The Costa Rican Government has negotiated an extension of credit through the Export-Import Bank of Washington in the sum of $4,600,000, of which $1,600,000 is being used for the construction of lateral roads, and $3,000,000 for the construction of that section of the Inter-American Highway between Cartago and the Panama frontier, a distance of approximately 150 miles. The Costa Rican Government has requested the Public Roads Administration through the Department of State to furnish considerable engineering in connection with this project, in view of the fact that such services are not otherwise available to Costa Rica. This essential link in the highway between the Panama Canal and the United States will in addition provide access to areas of highway elevation up to 9,000 or 10,000 feet, which will be desirable for hospital and convalescent purposes as the American personnel in the vicinity of the Canal increases.

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