Page:Highway Needs of the National Defense.pdf/68

52 COST PER VEHICLE-MILE

If, in 1948, it had been possible to invest in the system the $11,266,400,000 of capital estimated as required for the improvements proposed, that sum could have been raised by a payment of only 18.1 cents for each mile of vehicle travel on the system in that one year. This figure represents the vehicle-mile cost for 1 year's usage only. Vehicle registration and vehicle usage are increasing. In future years the usage of the system, in terms of vehicle-miles of travel on it, will increase. The amount of the probable increase is a matter of speculation.

Photo by Abrams Aerial Survey Corp.

Future traffic

If traffic using the system in future years is assumed to remain at the level estimated for 1948, the capital cost of the proposed improvement would represent about nine-tenths of a cent per vehicle-mile of the traffic that would be served in a period of 20 years. Since this