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On the basis of these estimates, the total highway program of 3 billion dollars, consisting of 2.25 billion dollars for construction and 750 million dollars for maintenance, indicated previously as the probable essential post-war program, will afford approximately 840,000 man-years of direct employment and 1,160,000 man-years of indirect employment.

Of these totals, the interregional system constructed at the recommended rate, corresponding to an annual expenditure of $750,000,000, would employ each year approximately 145,100 man-years directly and 323,400 man-years indirectly, or a total of 468,500 man-years per year.

DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT ON THE INTERREGIONAL SYSTEM

Centers of greatest employment need on the system.—As previously shown in detail, there are more or less extensive sections of the recommended interregional highway system in every State and in 1,056 of the 3,076 counties of the country. It has been shown also that the system reaches directly 587 of the 1,077 cities of 10,000 population or more, and that the cities directly touched are those in which a large volume of unemployment is likely to occur in the process of change from the activities of war to those of peace.

For purposes of direct employment, therefore, the system is well located, and a prompt beginning of its construction can be the means of employing directly substantial numbers of workers in every State and at the points in each State where there will be the greatest employment needs.