Electric railroads.—During recent years electric railroads have had an important development in Illinois for interurban traffic. The street railways of the cities of the state are operated entirely by electricity. Electric railroads have usually been built between important centers of population already connected by steam railroads, and the frequent service and central location of passenger terminals have made the electric roads a favorite means of travel for short journeys. In a number of instances lines have been established between cities without other direct railroad connection with each other, and short branch lines have been built to towns having no other railroad facilities. The electric railroads of Illinois, including elevated railroads, but not street-car lines, had, in 1914, a trackage of 1,912 miles.
The horse car, the cable car, and the steam engine have all dis appeared in city street car systems of the state, and electricity has been substituted. The cities of Illinois had a street railway mileage of 822 miles in 1914 and a trackage of 1,480 miles.
Public highways— The splendid railway systems of Illinois can serve the people of the state only by having direct connection be tween railroad stations and farms by means of public highways. Every bushel of grain, every ton of hay, every head of live stock sold in Illinois starts to market along an ordi nary public highway. The food, clothing, building materials, machinery, and other necessaries of all the people in city and country alike reach the consumer in the last stages of trans portation along public streets and public roads.
The system of public highways in Illinois has been fully laid out and opened to public travel. The entire system measures 96,000 miles, eight times the mileage and four times the trackage of the railroads of the state. This system is of sufficient length to make forty highways from ocean to ocean across the United States. It would reach one-third of the distance to the moon. The system needs, not extension, but improvement.
A law was passed in 1917 providing for a state-wide system of hard-surfaced roads. Routes were laid out so that this system of state highways will reach into every county and to every town of 2,000 inhabitants or more. The plan includes the construction of 4,S00 miles of roads at an estimated cost of $60,000,000. The law provides for an increase in the amount of motor-vehicle fees. The rates for 1918 were made 50 per cent higher than in 1917, and for 1919 and thereafter double those of 1917. The revenues to be derived from the increased fees together with the normal increase in the number of motor vehicles have been carefully estimated. It is believed
that the income from this source alone will be sufficient to pay the interest on $60,000,000 worth of bonds, to retire the bonds within twenty years, and to furnish a fund sufficient to keep the roads always in excellent repair.
The question of issuing bonds for this enterprise was sub mitted to the voters of the state at the election of November 5, 1918. It was approved by a large majority, and construction began in 1919.
The following table shows the rapid growth in the use of motor vehicles, most of which are automobiles: The 4,800 miles of highway proposed under the law of 1917 embraces 5 per cent of the total mileage of the state, and 85 per cent of the people of the state live within five miles of these roads. It is estimated that with a system of good roads the number of motor vehicles will soon increase to 600,000 and the annual income from fees to $6,000,000 annually. This will be ample to pay the interest and principal of the bonds and to keep the roads always in good repair.
Early stages of state road-building.—The construction of the state highway system of hard roads is under the direction of the Department of Public Works and Buildings, Division of Highways. The roads are of two classes based on the source of funds for construction. The Federal :lid Roads, including about 800 miles, will be paid for jointly by the state and federal governments, and the Slate Aid Roads, 4,000 miles in total length, by the state and counties in which the roads are located. These two systems are shown on the accompanying map. The systems of Federal Aid Roads have been officially named as follows: Lincoln Highway from Chicago to Clinton, Iowa; Chicago-Waukegan Road from Chicago to Wisconsin state line; Chicago-East St. Louis Road from Chicago to East St. Louis via Joliet, Ottawa, La Salle, Peoria, Springfield, and Carlinville; Dixie Highway from Chicago to Danville; National Old Trails Road from St. Louis to Terre Haute, Indiana.
During 1919, 575 miles of the Federal Aid Roads were put under contract and 170 miles completed; 105 miles of State Aid Roads were contracted for and 70 miles completed. These contracts were to he completed as early as possible in 1920. The contracts of 1920 exceed those of 1919, and year by year the system will be rapidly extended to completion. The financial and construction plans for this extensive system of good roads provide for repair and upkeep, so that excellent roads for Illinois seem assured for the future.