tration. After war began, these recognized needs quickly multiplied. Federal funds applicable to these access road purposes were not immediately available and, before they could be provided by special authorization of the Congress, the suddenly augmented traffic on many of the roads found them grossly inadequate. The resulting confusion and delays had a perceptible effect in retardation of the war effort.
Federal funds for emergency construction
It is impracticable to make definite plans long in advance of the event for avoidance of the repetition of a similar situation in the future. Assuming continuance of the Federal policy of appropriation for specific highway purposes, there will always be Federal funds authorized or appropriated for such specific purposes which could be diverted in emergency to other purposes. What is needed is permanent legislation authorizing the employment of such authorized funds for other purposes associated with the needs of national emergency declared by the President. The authority should be broad enough to cover national emergencies of war or peace, such as the necessity of access road construction incident to anticipated hostilities and necessities such as those experienced in consequence of the heavy snowfall of the past winter, and on other occasions as the result of major floods and other disasters. The legislation should authorize expenditures required for the making of essential surveys and the preparation of plans as well as for needed construction, and it should authorize Federal payment for war-necessitated construction up to 100 percent of the cost. Emergency repair and permanent rehabilitation of roads, including bridges, in disaster areas should be done under agreement with the State highway department and payment made therefor on the established pro rata for the regular Federal-aid highway program. The maximum sum to be available, without specific authorization, should be fixed by law, and provision should be made for subsequent replacement of amounts so used.
Stock piling of materials and equipment
The experience of World War II and recent major peacetime disasters indicate also the advisability of an amendment of the Federal Highway Act authorizing payment with Federal funds of a pro rata share of the cost of a continuous reserve or stock pile of certain highway and bridge materials. The freeze orders of World War II first stopped the flow of materials in commercial supply lines and then channelized them to consumers on a priority basis. Items in consumers’ possession were not affected by the freeze orders, but considerable time was required to obtain the permits requisite for the acquisition of the most essential construction and maintenance materials after the controls were established. In anticipation of a similar future situation it is desirable that the supplies of certain materials in possession of the State highway departments at any moment be sufficient to provide for the needs of a period long enough to effect the resumption of essential supply under the conditions of wartime regulation.
Of certain materials that are regularly required, the reserve should provide for the normal consumption of not less than a 6-month period. Among the more essential materials are aggregates for portland cement concrete and bituminous concrete, bituminous materials, cement, chlorides for the treatment of ice-coated pavements, culvert pipe, nails, paints, steel and timber piling, structural steel and timber, steel
