New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-15
THE GOOD ROADS PROBLEM
WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SOLVE 1T IN
NETWORK STATE.
WAYS OF BUILDING ROADS IN DIFFEREN
sOTI.S-FAULTS TO EE REMEDIED-
THE PROBABLE COST.


tho bopinninp of this century when the roads were
so bad and the toll rates were so large thht INC
matter attracted general attention. FROM 'ne W
vestigations which resulted certain rules lot roh"
building were formulated. the adoption OF WHICH &c"
TO the construction of the fine highways ior "hio"
Great Britain has long been famous AZ 'he ''''',
mentioned there were railroads In Engiahu' anu
al, nroduce was TRANSPORTED by wagon road or cana
so that the problem was one Of great commercial
importance.
Most prominent among the road engineers OF
Great Britain were MacAdam and Telforn' au'o'
Gates of two different systems OF road BUILDING
which are used according TO the neeus Vi TIC
locality where the road IS to be built.
In the United States most roads have naturai
hods and the character of these beds Is determined
nv the geology Of the region In which they he'
Hence the roadbeds consist Of clay sand, loam'
gravel etc. or may occasionally be on the surface
of the country rock. From this necessary rei"'io"
between soil and road II usually happens 'ha' tue
poorcst roads are In the regions OF poor i"ri"''
whore property values and consequently taxes are
low and there Is little money to spend on the roaos'
This Is especially in stony districts lot sto'
soil is the most unlnanageab bic material for road
or the natural roads those on clay soil are BEST VI
dry weather. those on sand best IN wet "e"'h'i /
When wet with n certain proportion OF water hic
sand becomes hard and elastic. as we see on inc
beaches Of our Atlantic coast. from Long is'a''u
southwark OF the natural soils the best lot roai
purposes are those variable mixtures OF sand ana
clay called loans Loan roads average pet'er
through the year than those of clay or sand N
limestone gravel also makes good road. as docs Il
fine quartz gravel mixed with clay. From everyday
experience It Is clear that natural roadbeds are
not iii for heavy traffic when under varying con-
ditions of moisture.
TWO ESSENTIALS in ROAD BUILDING.
The experience Of over 1000 years has shown con-
cuslvelv that there are two essential points TO be
aimed at In the construction OF road
J. hard smooth. waterproof surface.
. A thoroughly dry foundation.
These nrinciples were known the Romans 800
p G. and used in the construction Of their best
highways.
The surface Of a coed road must be Of sufficient
strength to resist the wear and tear OF trahc' ana
smooth enough prevent undue strain ana wear
on vehicles In connection with this the SOIL DC
noatb must he made dry and kept dry Therefore
tho subiect Of road drainage is as important as
that of road metallinG
The best road covering is composed OF Angular
fragments OF some stone grinding on tho suridc"
into n dust which when wet VIII bind or III u
measure cement the fragments together. 50 thht
water will not penetrate. The angular form Is eS-
sential to make the fragments intcrlock The sizes
should ho quite uniform except that tho surface
LAYER NAV consist of fragments different IN Size
from those in the bottom course
The total thickness Of this metalling must be AT
least six inches on n natural SOIL iouh"i"on. ."'
FRAGMENTS should not exceed two and nan ihcheS
In diameter, ard should be rolled IN TWO separate
courses with heavy steam roller until the surface
II absolutely Arm This is the MacAdam system
Where tho soil foundation is clay, or for any rea-
son difficult drain. tho Telford method Is used
In this case of fiat stones about SIN inchcs
deep set on edge and closely wedged together' IL
placed upon the soil and the crushed stone is
placed over this four inches thick and rolled solid
In good practice 1t is customary to roll the earth
before The stone is laid upon II, and then roll the
stone Foundation The Telford foundation forms
bridge which prevents the road from sinking in
moist soil.
In some places tile drains each side OF the
road necessary After the road Is built 1t must
be kept constantly in repair and the neglect of
this principle is to great extent responsible Tor
the poor roads OF the United States. The MacAdam
and Telford systems above described are necessary
for roads designed for heavy traffic In all weathers
but roads for pleasure driving only do not need the
same expensive preparation.
The best two materials in New-York for road
metal trap and magnetism limestone Sand
stone has no binding properties and never makes
first-rate road. fragments continually break
loose Granite is good. but not equal to trap In
New-Yor the best read materials occur in certain
limited and at points distant from these the
cost Of transportation is the controlling feature
to and near the main line Of the New-York Central
Railroad, and in zone around the Adirond iso,
land counties and in NeW-Jerscy.
THE PROBLEM IN NETWORK STATE.
First-class roads il not built by the State, can
be afforded only in regions inhabited by persons of
more wealth than the average farmer. Near the
large cities are great tenantcd by those who
have business In tho city, but prefer TO live in the
country Here the property values are much
higher than in regions exclusively devoted 70 farm
higher, 1t Is possible to spend more money on the
roads.
Under present law the people OF the State
work out their road taxes without intelligent super
vision. and often not only is the labor wasted but
the roads are spoiled The faults OF the roads
which could be remedied without extra expense In
labor mainly these:
!. The roads are too narrow and too high In the
centre. On account of the narrowncss the wheels
all run in the same track and the extreme curva-
ture OF the roadbed conpels the wheels TO run on
the edge instead OF the surface of the tires the
combination OF the two faults causing the forma-
2 Loose stones allowed to remain in the roads.
and the work is not directed toward keeping the
The legislation hitherto proposed has only aimed
at few State roads, This is insufficient Trained
sets, which takes the lead In systematic road
spends 500 600 per year on the same scale of eS,
pendiiurc basis New-York would have to spend
the cost Of nrst-class road in Massachusetts, Is
s ihe no of sgV roads Hf of 1900 mes
the cost of completion would be sl.2500r.
With three years Of careful work Massachusetts,
has only built small samples OF good roads In diff
ferent parts OF the State to serve as object lessons
10 the people. one may estimate from this the
length OF time that II would take to develop any
general system Of State roads in New-fork. The
they can for the cause OF State highways which
certainly should be built. must develop n system
OF supervision over the road work as done at pres
enf.
The legislators should aim ut some plan far reach
ing i'm it's effects which while supplying the State
with a reasonable number Of frst-cass highways.
should improve without material Increase Of
pense the present general method OF working roads
a money road il apparently not practicable
ct throughout New-York. but would be desirable
The important reasons for road Improvement
throughout the State three First. the desir
ability of reducing the cost OF hauling: second, the
importance OF making most OF the roads tit for
pleasure driving thereby attracting 10 the rural
districts I'm summer thousands OF people who create
q local market for various farm products third. the
economic principle OF preventing the great
OF labor which is fruitessly expended In
making bad roads.
those requirements.