And what does it cost? Well, this particular section we are opening
today costs in the neighborhood of $350, 000. That sounds like a lot of
money. Maryland's total highway construction budget is about
$80, 000, 000 a year. That sounds like more money, and it is.

What does it mean to the individual? Looking at it one way, it means
twelve cents. Twelve cents is all you spend out of your highway trans-
portation dollar to pay for the roads on which you drive.

Let's look for a moment at that motor transportation dollar. First, 30
cents out of that dollar goes for the amortized cost of your car and its
accessories. Second, 16 cents out of the dollar goes for gas and oil. Now,
take 18 cents out of the dollar for maintenance and repair, 11 cents
parking and 13 cents for insurance. That leaves 12 cents and that goes
for the highways on which you drive.

Those old roads, with their winding alignment and treacherous curves,
cost us more. They cost 15 cents out of every highway transportation
dollar. So, we are getting better roads today for less money—less to the
individual, that is. We are getting safer roads for less money. We are
getting more productive roads for less money. I think there is no ques-
tion that your 12 cents is being used wisely.

I hope you will think about that 12 cents for a while. A lot of people
are. They are thinking that it is a small price to pay for the many bene-
fits which accrue to the thousands of men, women and children who
ride our highways today.

We are looking today at valid evidence of one place where your 12
cents was used. Later this year and next year, we will see more as the
dualization of Route 50 continues. Projects as far south as the Chop-
tank River are under construction right now. So are the final links of
the great Salisbury Thruway and so are other sections in Worcester
County.

I have every confidence in the men and women of the State Roads
Commission who are performing—and performing well—a vital service
for the people of this State. I, for one, look forward to the day—and it
is not too far off—when we will cut the ribbon on the final project in
the dualization of Route 50 on the Eastern Shore.

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