Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-09-20
Our Country Roads.

At the last session OF the Legislature,
bill was passed authorizing commission
to revise and consolidate the law relating
to the construction and improvement oil
the roads and highways of the State and to
consider the advisability of the States as
sisting in the construction ard improve
ment Of the same. The commission Is to
consist Of three members of the Senate, hve
REPRESENTATIVES. and five citizens appoint
ed by the governor Those who know oil
the condition of the roads in this State, and
appreciate the economic value OF good
highways, viii readily agree that this COM
mission has an important task to perform.
Those who are familiar with the jumbled
mess of legislation which now controls
such matters will realize that the task OF
revision is heavy one. So crude and IN
harmonious are the existing laws that the
commission will probably find the easiest
way to settle the matter to be the devising
of new system, worthy of the name.
When the commission begin the work OF
revision, it is to be hoped that they will
make permanency the central feature OF
their scheme. Had the State fifty or one
hundred years ago begun the construction
of limited annual amount of permanent
highway, we would now have the best
roads i'm America, instead of the worst.
With the lesson of the past in view, the i'm
portance of adopting this reform is the
more apparent to-day. The idea of per
manence should involve these ideas: First,
let the commission of experts determine
what shall be considered standard road.
This may be either heavily macadamized
road, or some form of paved road, the pay
ing forming the wearing surface OF the
thoroughly built road bed The engineer
ing science Of to-day can plan road which
shall last for centuries, with merely NOM
inal expense annually to keep it in repair.
Such roads were built by the Romans, and
thousands Of years ago, and are in use to-
day. The cost Of this standard road may
vary from 5000 to 900 per mile. II
paved it need not exceed Is or IS feet in
width, except on approaching large towns.
As TO material, which would regulate the
cost, the most durable is granite paving.
Asphalt comes next. then brick, wood and
macadam. In cost, when the expense OF
repairs is considered, the order is precisely
reversed. In other words, ,macadam is the
most expensive in the long run. Then
comes the others, wood brick, asphalt and
granite blocks Cobble is not worthy OF
consideration, owing to its roughness and
the impossibility of keeping it in repair.
The material and method of construction
Of the standard road should depend upon
what the counties of the State at large
could afford nc best would be the
chears.t.
A standard road being decided upon, each
county in the State should be required TO
lay out general plan of its county roads,
and to build each year stated amount OF
such road, in proportion to the assessed
valuation of property in the county. The
State should bear its share of the burden,
By contributing certain percentage of the
cost, this to be paid over only after proof
that the required amount of road had been
constructed according to the standard The
standard Of material, workmanship and
grades could be changed according to the
light of experience, as could the amount
required to be built annually. But since
the work would reasonably begin at the
larger centres of population, only a high
standard should be adopted at the start.
The amount might be very limited. The
all important requirement is that some
such system be fairly adopted.
As to outlying roads now in existence or
constructed hereafter, some modification OF
the present laws is necessary. The larger
portion of the money now spent in such
work is totally wasted, no good results be
ing effected by its expenditure. The entire
system needs overhauling and the work
upon our roads should be committed to in
telligent and responsible parties.-Wllkes-
Barre Record.