Middletown transcript., 1899-09-30
COST OF GOOD ROADS,
DEPENDS UPON LOCALITY AND METH
90 or CONSTRUCTION.


Improved Machinery Has Done Muci
to Lessen the Expense of Road
Building-well Duilt stone Read.
the Cheapest.
1 The Improvement Of country roads 1.
chiefly an economical question. relstine
principally to the waste Of effort II
hauling over bad roads, the saving II
money. time and energy in hauling
over good ones. the initial cost Of i'm
proving roads and the difference In the
cost OF maintaining good and bad ones.
1t Is not necessary to enlarge on this
subject in order to convince the average
reader that good roads reduce the re-
sistance to traffic and consequently the
cost of transportation of products and
goods to and from farms and markets
IS reduced to q minimum, says M. O.
Eldredge Of the Office Of road inquiry.
The initial cost Of a road depends
upon the cost Of materials, labor, ma
chinery. the width and depth to which
the material Is to be spread on and the
method OF construction. All these things
vary 30 much in the different states
that 1t Is impossible to name the exact
amount for which q mile of a certain
kind Of road can be built.
The introduction In recent years Of
improved road building machinery has
enabled the authorities in some Of the
states to build improved stone and
gravel roads quite cheaply. First class
single track stone roads, feet wide.
have been built near Canandaigua, N.
T.. for 5000 to 81, 900 per mile. Many
excellent gravel roads have been built
In New Jersey for 81, 900 to 81, 800 Der
mile. The material Of which they were
constructed was placed ON in two lay
ers, each being raked and thoroughly
rolled, and the whole mass consolidated
to thickness of inches. In the same
state macadam roads have been built
for 90, 900 to $5. 900 per mile. varying
In width from Q to 30 feet and In thick.
ness Of material from 4 to 10 inches.
Telford roads IA feet wide and 10 to 10 |
inches thick have been built In New
Jersey for "a, 900 to go, 900 per mile. |
Macadam roads have been built at |
and Fairfield, Conn, 1S to
30 feet wide for $3. 900 to $5. 900 Der
mile. A telford road 16 feet wide aud
IL inches thick was built at Fanwood.
n. j.. for 90. 500 per mile. Macadam
roads have been built in Rhode Island.
10 to 30 feet wide. for "a. 600 to So. 600
per mile.
Massachusetts, roads are costing all
The way from SO, 200 to $25, 900 per
mile. A mile Of broken stone road is
'eet wide costs in the state Of Massa-
;husetts about $5. 700 per mile, while
nile OF the same width and kind Of road
,osts In the state Of New Jersey only
a, 700. This is due partly to the fact
hat the topography Of Massachusetts, is
omewhat rougher than that of New
Jersey. necessitating the reduction of
many steep grades and the building of | |
expensive retaining walls and bridges
nd partly to the difference in methods
{ construction and the difference in
. AS~o /.
Doubtless the state Of New Jersey is
uilding more roads and better roads
or less money per mile than any other
tate in the Union. The roads are now :
osting from 30 to 20 cents per square
ard Where the telford construction
, used they sometimes cost as much as !
8 cents per square yard The average .
ost Of all classes Of the roads Of that /
tate during the last season was about U
0 cents per square yard. The stone \
!as, as rule. spread on to depth of
inches, which, after rolling, gave al :
epth Of about inches. At this rate .
ngle track road 9 feet wide costs about !
2. 846 per mile. while q double track n
lad IA feet wide costs about a, 100 a
sr mile. and one 1s feet wide costs
bout %, $50 Per mile Where the ma :,
rial is spread on 80 as to consolidate -
J 4 inch layer the 8 foot road will n
'st about 81. 178 per mile, the II foot O
'ad about %. 05S per mile, while the re
10 16 feet wide win cost about %. re
10 per mile. :.
The total cost Of maintaining roads =.
good order ranges, ON account Of 70
Irying conditions, between az wide W
nits almost as the initial cost OF con. th
ruction. Suffice IL to say that all
oney spent on repairing earth roads
comes each year total loss without
improving their condition.
ley are, as o rule, the most expensive ID
ads that can be used, while, on the sp
her hand. stone roads, II properly w
Of good material and kept th
perfect condition, are the most salts. a.,
ctory, the cheapest and most ecouon- -
u roads that can be constructed. "'
The road that win best suit the needs ou
the farmer In the first place must ed
be too costly and In the second CO
'ce must be Of the very best hind, for tn
'mers should be able to do their heavy a.
uling over them when their fields are :.
wet to work and their teams would p''
lerwise be idle th'
The best road for the farmer, all ser
ngs being considered. is solid, well
Ut stone road, so narrow as to be only
ingle track, but having firm earth /,
d on one or both sides Where the =
tic Is not very extensive the purposes -.
COED roads are better served by mar. Sr.
tracks than by wide ones, while est
ny Of the Objectionable features Of In
10 tracks are removed. the initial .bs
Of construction is cut down one. ~
or more and the charges for repair =
need In proportion. stel
.sto,
oeoa Read Netes. stal