The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-08-19
MORRIS COUNTY ROADS
A Fine sy7tsm, Well Made and.
In Good Condition.

terviewed on the Condition and
Repair of Roads-Favors Annual
Contracts for Repairs = Adding
Screenings Failure.
Summer visitors to Morris county are
so outspoken for our new county roads
that we are reminded that this new
home blessing is little appreciated by
many of the citizens of Morris. And
just now, when the last sections of the
original schedules are nearing compile
ton, few remarks on the county roads
and their condition are well in place. A
rough estimate places the total of COM
pleted macadam roads in Morris at about
fifty miles, and several roads are yet in
progress of construction under the State
Aid act. When these are completed the
county will have fine system of roads,
centering generally about the main line
from Union county at Chatham to the
Sussex line at Stanhope. Starting from
Union county the macadam passes
through Chatham, with branch to Liv-
ingston; through Madison, with branch
to Alton by Ridgedale avenue; through
Morristown, with branches to Basking
Ridge, Mendham and Whippany:
through Morris Plains, Tabor, Denville,
Rockaway and Dover, with branch to
Berkshire Valley and Woodport at Sus-
sex line; through Mine Hill, Drakesville,
Port Morris and Stanhope to the Sussex
county line. Then there is the section
through BARLEY, Flanders and Mt. Olive,
and the Mendham road is being con-
tinued to meet the Chester turnpike.
There are also stray sections over in
Boonton and Butler and in other outly-
ing townships of the county. And this
has been accomplished in spite of the
criticism, inexperienee and political dick
ering at the comparatively small cost, in
Guiding material and engineering, of
about 1926 900.
County Road Inspector Thomas Malley
when interviewed by CHRONICLE re-
porter Tuesday evening, said morris
county has now fine system of roads
and they are generally in good condition.
Of course repairs go on continually. [
should say that the best road in the
county at present is that from Morris
Plains to Tabor, as it is about the last
road built; then the roads out to Mendham
and Whippany are also excellent, and
there are many other very good sections
about the county. Where we meet with
greatest trouble and where the roads
must be repaired more frequently is on
the hills, as on the Flanders road in Mt.
Olive, and on level stretches where the
road has not been properly rounded, as
is the case with the Speedwell avenue
road from Sussex avenue on toward
Morris Plains. The failure to round the
roadbed is not SO much the fault of the
builders as of the engineers who establish
the grade lines. The greatest enemies to
macadam roads are hard rain storms and
excessive dry weather, the former
washes away the coating of small stone
screenings from the surface and in the
latter case the roads get dry and simply
grind up and blow away. Our greatest
difficulty thus far has been from heavy
rains, which have badly washed the
roads. Just now we are repairing at
Pine Brook, Butler and Mt. Olive and
are about to commence repairs at Madi-
son. It is surprising how little is known
about macadam roads and road repairs.
If road becomes a trifle worn, there is
at once clamor for carload or two of
screenings to cover it up. Up to two
months ago the members of the Road
Committee were literally besieged by
Freeholders as well as citizens asking
extensive repairs, and each meeting of
the Freeholders recorded carloads of
screenings and hundreds of dollars for
roads in all parts of the county. Then
they put stop to it by declaring that no
repairs would be made without the
recommendation of the inspector, and
since that time the requests have come
to me for repairs in all sections, and in
response have made appointments with
Freeholders to inspect their roads, and
have found some in bad shape and others
only triie worn and really needing no
attention.
81 have learned one thing this year:
that the scheme of pouring screenings
on a road to repair it is very expensive
and utterly worthless. The first hard
rain carries away the screenings, or they
grind up and are blown away in the first
dry spell. Experience shows that until
a road needs three-quarter inch stone,
it needs nothing. With this size stone
as basis, little binder and screenings,
all well rolled, will make the road as
good as new. And so far as | am able