Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1899-10-13
COST OF GOOD ROADS.
DEPENDS UPON LOCALITY AND METH
90 or CONSTRUCTION.

Go Lessen the Expense OF bSOau
Dullding-Well Built stone Reads
che Cheapest.
The Improvement Of country roads II
chiefly an economical question. relating
principally to the waste Of effort In
hauling over bad roads, the saving in
money. timo 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
Il II not necessary to enlarge on this
subject in order to convince the average
reader that good roads reduce the re-
sistancs to traffic and consequently the
cost Of transportation of products and
goods to aud from farms and markets
h reduced to q minimum. says M. O.
Cldrcdge Of the Office Of road inquiry.
Tho initial cost Of road depends
upon tho cost Of materials, labor. ma
chinery. tho width and depth to which
the material IL TO be spread on and the
method Of construction All these things
vary 80 much In Tho different states
that II Ia impossible to namo ..s exact
amount for which mile Of 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
Y. for 5000 10 ~ 900 per mile Many
excellent gravel roads have been built
in New Jersey for 81 900 to 81 300 per
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
10 thickness OF inches In the same
state macadam roads have been built
for ~. 900 70 ~. 900 per mile, varying
in width from 10 30 feet and In thick
ness of material from 4 To ~ inches
Telford roads IA feet wide and 10 to 10
inches thick have been built In New
Jersey for 1000 to 80. 900 per mile
Macadam roads have been built ut
Bridgeport and Fairfield. Conn. 10 to
20 feet wide for 90. 600 to $4,000 per
milo. A teiford road 10 feet wide and
12 inches thick was built at Fanwood.
N. j.. for 800 per mile Macadam
roads have been built In Rhode island,
10 TO 30 feet wide. for "a. 900 to 1000
per mile
Massachusetts roads are costing all
tho way from $4,000 to $50, 900 per
mile A mile Of broken stone road 10
feet wide costs In tho state Of Massa.
chusetts about %. 700 per mile. while
mile Of tho same width and kind Of road
costs In the state of New Jersey only
a, TOO, This IL dine partly to the fact
that tho topography Of Massachusetts, IL
somewhat rougher than that Of New
Jersey, necessitating tho reduction Of
many steep grades and the building Of
expensive retaining walls and bridges
and partly to the difference In methods
Of construction and tho difference in
prices Of materials. labor. etc
Doubtless the state Of New Jersey Is
building moro roads and better roads
for lcss money per milo thnn any other
state In tho Union Tho roads are now
costing from 30 TO 10 cents per square
yard Where the tclford construction
Ia used they sometimes cost as much as
~ cents per square yard The average
cost Of all classes 81 tho roads Of that
state during tho last season WINS about
30 cents per square yard The stone
was. as n rule. Pprcad on 10 " depth Of
inches. which. after rolling. gave a
depth of about inches At this rate a
single track road \ feet wide costs about
e2.a40 per mile. while a double track
road II feet wide costs about "a, 1Oe
per mile and one ~ feet wide costa
about ~. $50 per mile. Where tho ma.
tcrial ~ spread ON 40 as TO consolidate
to 4 inch layer the foot road win
cost abqut $i,liS per mile. the IA foot
road about Sa, 0a3 per mile. while the
ono Is feet wide will cost about So.
$40 per milo
The total cost Of maintaining roads
IN good order ranges. ON account Of
varying conditions. botwnan ~ wide
limits almost rs tho initial cost u con.
struction Suffice II to say that all
money spent on repairing earth roads
becomes each year total loss without
materially improving their condition
They arc. rs u rule. the most expensive
roads that can be used. while. ON the
other hand. stone roads. II properly
constructed Of good material and kept
In perfect condition. are the most salts.
factory. the cheapest and mes. econom.
Seal roads that can he constructed
The rad that will best suit the needs
Of tho TURNER In the first place must
not bo too costly aud in the second
place must be- of the very best kind for
farmers should he able To do their heavy
hauling over them when their fields ara
too wet TO work and their teams would
otherwise be idle
Tho best road for the farmer. u.
things being considered. Is solid. well
built stone road. 80 narrow ~ To b, only
single track. but having u firm carti
road On one OF both sides Where the
traffic Il not very extensive tho purposes
Of good roads arc better served by mar.
Tow tracks than by wide ones. while
many Of the objectionable features d
wide tracks are removed. the initial