Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-12-26

For tho Herald.
Our Free Turnpikes and Thor
General Construction.

| vuA eVlIesponutuI III MS FcinhthHh hnVul
our Turnpikes, seems to have overlooked
ono item in their construction which is
particularly faulty, and in some INSTANCES
dangerous to the travelling public. On
looking over the General Specifications Of
our roads, l find that the grade immedi'
ately under the gravel is required to be Of
the same width and form in the cuts and
fills as tho grade on the balance Of the
roads, but on some of them it is lamenta-
bly, deficient. Take the levee adjoining
our town, on the Chilicothe Road, The
contract required that it should DO "a feet
wide Immediately under the gravel and
the edge ofthe grade sloping at an angle
of As degrees on each side ANY one look
ing at it viii see that it is very different
affair-entirely too narrow, especially in
the suburbs of town like Washington.
At this season of the year we may rea-
sonably expect to hear occasionally Of
teams upsetting in that vicinity.
On the Jefferson vile Road, between
Washington and Paint bridge, we have
several similar specimens, that are posi-
lively dangerous to the public travel. |
noticed one or two deep culverts that are
particularly obnoxious. The abutments
of the culvert, instead Of being raised to
the level of the grade, as required by the
specifications, are placed about three or
four feet below the grade, The result is,
that the width of the road across that hol- |
low, is narrowed down to about 10 feet,
the width or the gravel; and it is utterly
impossible for two teams to pass each 9th.
er with safety, especially at this season of
the year.
Justice to the Taxpayers would require
that the Engineer should reetiry such er.
rors at his own expensej for it manilests
either want of proper care to enforce the
requirements ofhis specifications, or a lack
of judgment as to the proper construction
of road The condition of the hill at
Wabash Creek, on the Wabash Road,
might have been very materially improved
if that Bridge had been raised four or five
feet higher-it is entirely too low as it is.
Ifthe contractors on the v abash Road
had cut those hills as required by their
Special Specifications, it would have re-
lieved that portion ofthe road of the fore.
going objections in a great measure.
The same might be said in regard to the
bridge at the foot of the hill north of Wat
erloO, on the Deer Greek Road. The orig
inal height Of that bridge, as decided up
on by the Engineer. was feet; but it was
finally built about 8 feet high. If it had
been built three or four feet higher, and
jhe hill also cut down, it would have very
materially aided in the ascent of that hill
1t would seem that the engineering of many
Of our roads was done too much by guess.
work and many of them are actually con-
strueted without due regard to the conven-
ences and requirements of public travel in
many localities.
Are not these and cognate matters rela-
i've to our roads fit subjects for the special
scrutiny of our County Commissioners?
It is serious question with the tax payers
when they are obliged to pay five
dollars per day for a competent Engineer to
these Roads, who shall reeti
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