On the basis of archival material the article analyzes the road network system in the Tomsk province in the early 20th century. Considering the practice of classification of the railways administrative structures on different levels, the author describes the mechanism of the emergence of new railways, abolishing or adjusting the status of existing ones. The division of railroads into the categories was not always carried out on the principles of rational necessity which led to negative consequences. The article shows the role of the county administrative committees in the aggregation of information about existing railways, the distribution between the urban and country railway communities. The analysis is given to the problems the official authorities faced in the organization of road repairs. Peasant population perceived the activity as a hard duty, tried in various ways to reduce the severity of it forcing the administration to apply additional organizational efforts. The author concludes that the road maintenance system that existed at the beginning of the 20th century was ineffective and required reforming.