The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-10-13
COST OF GOOD ROADS,
DEPENDS UPON LOCALITY AND METH.
Cd OF CONSTRUCTION.

chieiy an economical question relotip1
Principally to the waste of effort in
hauling over bad roads, tho sav;po in
money. timo and energy in hauline
over good ones. the initial cost Of inn,
proving roads and the difference in the
cost OF maintaining good and bad ones
~ Is not necessary to enlarge on this
subject in order to convince tho average
reader that good roads reduce the re.
distance to traffic and consequently tho
cost OF transportation of products and
goods to and from farms and markets
Is reduced to minimum. saws NJ O.
Eldredge of the office of road inuuirv.
The initial cost Of a road depcnds
upon the cost of materials, labor, ma
chlnery, the width and depth to which
tne material is to be spread on and tho
method of construction. All these things
vary SO much in the different states
that 1t Is impossible to name tho oxact
amount for which q milo OF a certain
klnd Of road can be built.
Ihe introduction in recent ycars NJ
improved road building machinery has
enabled the authorities in some OF the
states to build improved stono and
gravel roads quite chcaply. First class
single track stone roads. feet w;de
nave peen built near Canandaigua, N.
T.. tor 5000 to 81, 600 per mile. MANY
excellent gravel roads have bcep bull,
IN New Jersey fox 81 600 to 81 400 per
mile Tho material of which they were
constructed was placed on in two law
ers, each being rakcd and thoroughly
rolled, and the whole maas consolidated
to thickness of inches. In the same
state macadam roads have been bnilt
for 1000 to So, 900 per mile, yarvinp
in width from 0 to 20 feet and in thick.
ness OF material from 4 to 10 inches
Iclford roads II feet wide and 10 to -
inches thick have been built in New
Jersey for So to $6, 600 ncr mile.
Macadam roads have been bnjlt as
bridgppotf and Fairfield Conn, Is IL
20 feet wide for So, 900 to SIS, 600 nor
mile. a telford road 16 feet wide and
~ inches thick was built at Fanwood,
N. d., for 50, 500 per mile. Macadam
roads have been built in Rhode Island.
10 to 20 feet wide, for 81, 900 to So, 600
per mile
Massachusetts roads are costing all
the way from Sc, 600 to $50, 900 per
mile A mile of broken stone road IL
teet wide costs III tho state of Massa-
ehusetts about $500 per mile, while n
mile OF the same width and kind of road
costs III the state of New jersey only
S4, 700. This Is due partly to the fact
that tho topography of Massachusetts, is
somewhat rougher than that of New
Jersey. neccssitating the reduction Of
many e.eep grades and tho building OF
retaining walls and bridges
and partly to the difference in methods
Of construction and the difference in
prices OF materials. labor. etc.
doubtless the state of New Jersey is
building more roads and better roads
Tor less, money per mile than any other
state in the Union Tho roads are now
costing from 20 to 20 cents per square
yard. Where the telford construction
Is used they sometimes cost as much as
10 cents per square yard The average
cost OF all classes of tho roads of that
state during the last season was about
oO cents per square yard Yhe stons
was, as rule, spread, on to q depth of
inches which, after rolling. gave d
lepth OF about 9 inches At this rate
'lnglo track road 8 feet wide costs about
81, 346 per mile, while double track
'oad IA feet wide costs about 81, 100
'er mile, ard one 18 feet wido costs
'Dout So.2S per mile. Where the ma
erlal Is spread on so as to consolidate
o inch layer the fooS road will
ost about $i,17a per mile. the IA foot
Dad about Sc, 053 per mile, while tha
me 1S feet wide will cost about ga.
i40 per mile.
The total cost Of maintaining roads
n good order ranges. on account of
'arylng conditions. between rs wide
limits almost as the initial cost of con-
truction. Suffice it to say that all
money spent on repairing earth roads
ecomes each year total loss without
Materially improving thci4, condition.
hey are, as a.rule. tho most expensive
Dads that can be used. while, on the
ther hand. stone roads, if properly
INSTRUCTED Of good material and kept
perfect condition, are the most satis-
iGtory, the cheapest ana most eeonohs-
;al roads that can be constructed. y" :"
The road that will best suit tho needs
the farmer in the first place must
OF be too costly and i'll the second
lace must be of the very best kind, for
.rmers should be able to do their heavy
aulinS over them when their fields arc
10 wet to work ard their teams would
thorwisc be idle
The best road Tor tho farmer, all
lnSs icing consid r. !, i. q solid well
ant stone road. so narrow as to be only
single track. but hav..g firm earth
'ad on one or both sides. Where the
ahie Is not very extensive the purposes
good roads are better served by mar
wv tracks than by wide ones. while
any OF tho Objectionable features of
ide tracks are removed, the initial
'st Of construction is cut dawn.o