The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-07

that the bill under which the state
road work is now being carried forward
leaves the choice of the kind of road to
be built entirely to the towns as 1t
does also the choice of material which
regulates practically the cost of the
road. Speaking of pprehensions
which exist in regard to road matters
Commissioner Macdonald has the fol-
lowing to say in his report:
"A mistaken idea prevails to some
extent that to make a perfect system
of roads throughout the state, ma
cadam system must be inaugurated.
This is not of necessity so, as l have
seen many miles of road in different
towns in the state of splendid natural
gravel roads. What l mean by natural
gravel roads, is that the roads have
been laid out through a territory of
gravel formation All that was neces-
sary in the Improvement of the road
was to open up the road without the
addition of any other material than
that found on the road itself. These
roads could be made frst-class roads
by widening out and shaping the road
and forming cutters, thus making them
first-class roads with very little ex-
pVllSV. IL NOuil llOl Ollly NC cAll
CANT but very unwise to import stone
where such condition exists to make
a macadam road. In other towns of
the state | have found roads of good
gravelly earth where a little attention
in rounding up the road and forming
cutters would make them suitable for
the travel they would have to accom-
modate.
A Misrepresentation seems to exist in
regard to the longevity of the roads
now being constructed. There is no road
no matter what the material used in its
construction may be, that will last for
ever. In the making of roads for the
state the selection of the material with
which to construct the roads is very
important matter and after four years
experience the commissioner is convinc
ed that no iron clad rule can be laid
down as a standard for all the towns to
work under, for the simple reason that
/ it would be unpopular not only to the
| people of the towns who are most vital
ly interested in this question, but also
! from the fact that what is suitable and
| meets the needs or requirements Of one
| town would not be suitable or desired
| by the people of another town, neither
would it be economy to place an expen-
| sive pavement on roads with light traf-
fic in sparsely settled communities A
| common sense view of the latter re-
| quirement, would naturally suggest a
gravel construction or treatment With
material found in the town, easy of ac-
cess and inexpensive to use in the con-
struction of the road. The great secret
of having good roads is not only to have
them we'll built, no matter how the ma
terial used in the construction may diff
fer, but also gives them proper atten-
ton when they need repair.
The chief evil that we find is not alto
gether the question of the material, it
is the little word neglect Anything in
use is destined sooner or later to wear
out, and the length of its life is largely
determined by the care taken of it, so
it is with this question of roads. The
law under which l work as commission
er should provide for the care and
maintenance Of the roads built other
wise it is folly to spend either state or
town money in building roads.
There is no question but that the
roads Of the state generally show a
marked improvement over the condi-
ton they We're in at the start of the
good roads movement four years ago.
This has not been done exclusively with
the money appropriated by the state,
as the towns have in very many in
stances spent thousands of dollars in
improving their roads without any state
assistance"
OF the necessities for good roads, the
commissioner says in his report:
THE old term highways that came
from raising of the road proper above
the margins of the road in low places
so as to keep them perfectly dry, has
made the practice of raising the center
of the road too high still the custom in
many towns and there has grown up
in the state method of construction
properly called hog back roads, many
of them with a grade of three inches to
the foot. This excessive cross slope
grade invites travel to the crown of the
road and results in rutting out the road,
making a continual bill of expense in
keeping the road in repair, besides be-
ing very difficult and uncomfortable to
travel over. 1t has also created the hab-
it of taking the center of the road. This
is not only true of Connecticut but is
also found in other states. In one of
our sister states where roads have been
improved signs have been erected ask
ing those who use the roads to divide
the travel
AS a remedy the state has provided
standard for cross slope grades that
does ont exceed one inch to the foot.
This has a tendecy to distribute the
travel over the road, for any part of
the road is as easy to travel over as
the center. The purpose of this is to
make come and go road, thus dimn-
ishing the cost of repair and extending
the life of the road. 1t will be some
time, however, before those who use
our roads overcome or outgrow the
habit Of taking the center of the road,
as bad habit once formed is difficult
is abandon.
The question of drainage is receiving
more attention than ever before. People
are beginning to understand that water
is one of the most destructive forces
with which our roads have to contend
as they realize that it is absolutely nee
essary to insure any degree of stability,
and permanence to the road, that
proper drainage must be had. This
Of be rapeivpd q