The advocate., 1896-06-10
HIGHWAY LOCATION.
AN Important Subject InStPuctlVely TFOSt-
cd by an Oregon Man.


scientifically considered by the Oregon
Road club, Of Portland, Ore. Itrecently
issued bulletin in which w. B. Chase
member Of the club, gives some inter
esting points on Highway Location" i"
The following lines are taken from his
paper;
To locate q wagon road properly is a
work requiring no little thought and
careful consideration. To weigh all the
conditions, giving to each it's proper
Importance, and finally to make a loca-
tion in which conditions are balanced,
requires much time and thought, and
cannot be done in a day. To be sure, it
is easy enough to say that road over
which team can haul ton is better
than road on which half ton is a
limit. But, maybe the people who ore
to use the road have more horsepower
and time to spare than money. Again,
the traffic of district may be light, so
that 1t is cheaper, both at present and in
the long run, to endure the inconvenl.
ence of steep grades than to reduce
them.
Again, the future development of a
district must be considered. A traffic
Of 20 tons a day now may grow to 100
tons. The loss caused by steep grades
might be unimportant to the losers in
the first case, but serious in the latter
To express it differently, what does
grade cost the users? Or what effect
has grade on the traffic? What would
1t be worth to the users Of a road to have
lighter grade? How far would you be
justified in spending money to go
around a hill to avoid going over it?
All other things being equal, the farm
line is the place for the road. In the
middle west, especially in the prairie
states, the section line was generally as
good as any other, but in the hill coun-
tries the locator ought not to be re-
quired to locate on division line, sim
ply because it is some ones farm line.
In the study of grades, the direction
OF the heaviest traffic should be consid-
cred. Most of our market towns are In
the lowlands, while producing districts
are higher up. Obviously, hill down
which load must pass is not SO obiec-
tionable as one which a load must as
cend. You would not spend so much
money nor use so much distance to re.
duce q grade which is down for the
most of the traffic, as you would for one
which must be ascended by the loaded
teams. Of course, the subject of direc-
ton Of traffic cannot be considered as
\ closely as in railroad work, but it ought
not to be lost sight of.
Enough undulation in road for good
drainage is desirable, but heavy un-
dulation causes more loss of horsepower
and waste Of time than any other one
mistake of the road locator. To go UP
hill just to go down again ought to be
avoided, yet that is what we are doing
on most of orr hill roads.
The locator, when laying out roads
connecting places of different attitudes,
should endeavor not to lose grade, that
is, when the grade has been brought
down to the desired level, keepi it there;
or, If it has reached the desired altitude,
do not go down again.
We ought to be willing to make con.
siderable distance to avoid making an
upgrade in the direction of heaviest
traffic sleeper than five per cent. Grades
up to ten and twelve feet in one hun
dred are not uncommon in mountain
districts, but they are bad for any light
traffic. Keep your long grade lines be-
low five per cent. if possible, or, If they
must be sleeper, break the line occa-
Blonally with short distance of easier
grade.