RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STATE
The administration of the law is in the hands of the Office of Public Roads. The entire country is divided into ten districts, over each of which is a district engineer. When a state desires aid from the national government, its highway department must draw up plans for the improvements proposed and submit them to the district engineer, who in turn submits them with recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture, whose approval they must have. Having obtained this approval, the work is carried on by the state as in the case of other roads entirely under state control.
RESULTS OF FEDERAL AID
It is too soon yet to tell what the results of this new cooperative enterprise of the national government will be. But the first important effect has been to cause the organization of state highway departments in the few states that did not already have them, and the reorganization of such departments in the states where they were weak; for the Federal Aid Road Act provides that aid may be given to the states only on condition that they have effective highway departments. The result is that every state in the Union now has an active highway department, and road improvement is going on at a rate never before known.
Investigate and report on:
The amount of time saved in a year by a farmer in your locality because of good roads; or lost because of unimproved roads.
The wear and tear on vehicles and equipment because of unimproved roads.
Effect of improved or unimproved roads in your county on school and church attendance, social life, etc.
Instances of the exercise of the right of eminent domain in your county for road improvement.
Materials used in road making in your county. Relative merits of different materials as shown by experience in your county.