Salem, Oregon, December 18, 1918.
TO THE HONORABLE STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION, S. BENSON, Chairman, W. L.
THOMPSON, Commissioner, R. A. BOOTH, Commissioner.
Gentlemen:
I have the honor to submit report covering the operations of the Highway
Department for the fiscal years ending November 30, 1917, and November
30, 1918.
In view of the fact that the State Highway Department did not complete
its organization until late in the season of 1917 and due to the further
fact that practically all contracts were awarded after the first day of
July, 1917, it was impossible to place before the State Highway
Commission a report which would be of any particular value to the
general public at the end of the last fiscal year. Therefore, it has
been decided to submit the two fiscal years under one cover in order
that the public may have at its command a statement of public highway
expenditures and the accomplishments of the State Highway Department
under the supervision of the State Highway Commission.
It was considered advisable by the Highway Commission to award contracts
and get work under way as early in 1917 as the necessarily late
organization of the Department would permit. The matter of preparing
estimates and calling for bids was therefore carried out as rapidly as
possible, using the data and surveys of the previous administration as a
basis for estimates.
It is believed that by awarding the contracts during the year 1917,
approximately twenty per cent was saved on all construction for the
reason that the shortage in labor and material did not become serious in
the State of Oregon until late in that season.
I wish to call the attention of the Commission to the law which requires
the State Highway Commission to make county surveys upon the State
highway system within the boundaries of any county making application. I
believe the law to be a good one, inasmuch as it furnishes free to
counties engineering skill which they cannot afford and places at their
command an organization which is in a position to carry out preliminary
location and estimates. The law states that this work shall be charged
to the counties under any future appropriation which may be made to
them.
The law limiting the expenditures of the State Highway Department for
engineering and administrative purposes to ten per cent of the total
moneys appropriated for construction, is sufficient for all purposes of
the State Highway Department, as an examination of the tabulated report
will show. However, as there are no separate funds set aside for the
county work as above noted, it has been necessary for this Department to
charge in all such work against our own engineering forces, and when I
state to you that the total sum for strictly county work, as requested
by the county courts, amounts to $137,954.74 in two years, you will see
that the Department is carrying a rather heavy burden which in reality
does not belong to it. So far the Department has been able to carry the
burden and still live within the ten per cent, but at any time the
counties increase their construction and engineering work and request
our supervision, this might exceed the lawful limit which we are
allowed. I recommend that this law be made clearer and that certain
funds be set aside for engineering work handled by the State Highway
Department for counties.
In order to anticipate the large amount of construction for 1919, the
State Highway Department has worked a rather large engineering force
throughout the summer of 1918 and will continue it through the winter of
1918 and 1919. This preliminary work is absolutely necessary in order to
award contracts early in the spring of 1919. The Federal Government
requires very carefully prepared plans and estimates for all future
Government work and this has been anticipated also, and practically
every project has been completed as to engineering features and
submitted to the Federal Government for approval.
Respectfully submitted,
HERBERT NUNN, State Highway Engineer.
Report of the
State Highway Engineer
To the
Oregon State Highway Commission
December 1, 1916, to November 30, 1918