the Beltway around Baltimore, the Northeastern Expressway, completion
of the John Hanson Highway and others. This type of roadbuilding
has become known popularly as the State's "Go" program and over the
past three and one-half years "Go" program work has been performed
in the amount of more than $210, 078, 000. That has not been all. Work
other than the "Go" program has totalled more than $65, 826, 000.
The State's record of achievement in the highway construction field
has been more than adequate. Government could not have done the job
without you. The highway contracting industry of Maryland has often
been given construction tasks and construction deadlines which have
meant days and extra hours of nothing but hard work. The contracting
industry shouldered these burdens and did the job. The people of
Maryland will be forever in your debt for performance of that calibre.
Even with this high level of road construction, the needs continue to
pile up and government with the aid of the contracting industry has the
job of meeting these needs. At present, and in fact for the past several
years, Maryland has been building roads with a construction outlay of
approximately $70, 000, 000 a year. True, all the needs cannot be met
with such a budget, but with realistic programming, many of them
have. It is the State's responsibility to meet the needs of the traveling
public within the public's ability to pay. This is what we are doing.
This is what the State Roads Commission and the Legislative Council
is proposing to do. Very simply, the proposal is a means to continue
roadbuilding in Maryland at its present level of achievement.
By means of the proposals at Annapolis, the State is facing up to its
responsibility to provide the surfaces on which people and goods can
move with a maximum of safety and efficiency. Specifically, the pro-
posals call for construction, modernization and improvement of 874
miles of highway over a six-year period. This construction will touch
every part of Maryland, bringing the "Go" program to an orderly
conclusion and embarking on new projects to meet critical highway
needs. The proposals call for increased maintenance outlays to provide
more and better services for motorists in such activities as snow removal,
signing, mowing, striping and other items which make your trip safer,
speedier and more comfortable. They call for outlays for advance engi-
neering, advance right of way purchases, both designed to keep highway
construction moving at a smooth, continuous pace.
The needs cannot be met if we encounter a hiatus in highway build-
ing. We must move forward evenly and with purpose. I know the
State Roads Commission, on the basis of its needs study, knows that
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