Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-10-05
MAKING DIRT ROADS.
THOROUGH DRAINAGE OF UTMOST
IMPORTANCE.
Supervision of an Engineer Not Nec-
essnry-Prepnring the Subgrnde.
Shaping the RORdwny-HOw to
Handle Storm Water.

Handle Storm Water.
The construction of dirt road does
not necessarily require the supervision
Of an engineer, but simply the exercise
Il. Colt in the Kansas Farmer. 4
thorough knowledge of drainage and
the results obtainable must be his first
consideration. How to handle the
storm water and quickly dispose OF it
before it can penetrate into and
through the roadway must be his con-
stant study.
To obtain a dry Subgrade on which
to build his roadway will also be IA
factor in his success Covering in the
form of sOdS, clodS and weeds or vege-
table matter of any kind that will re-
tain the moisture will tend to make
his work a failure
In preparing the Subgrade for his
road he should plOw and Scrape out on
each side the sod and rich underlying
subSoil underneath, after which this
rich soil that has been laid aside
shOn1d be carefully freed from sod
and spread on in an even layer over the
surface of the subgradc he has COLI
structcd. as it will cffcctually prevent
washing of the roadway by storm WA
ter and the carrying away of material
by the wheels of vehicles.
The contour of the roadway should
not be that of an are or the segment of
circle, but should slope in straight
lines from the center to the outside of
the ditch on either side. In fact. there
should be no ditch. but the outside of
the roadway should simply be lower
than the center. rs bitches tend to CON
fine the water and cause the washing
away Of road material. If the roadway
Is round instead of running on slopes
from the center to the outside of the
ditch, there is n shoulder on either side
which would prevent the water from
quickly flowing from the apex to the
ditch. This shoulder. from constant
travel in the center of the roadway and
wearing away of the material by vPhi-
cleS, will be increased as time passes
and eventually prevent all storm wa
ter that falls on the roadway from
reaching the ditch. retaining it in tho
rutS to soften the roadway.
Where the road builder encounters
soft ground in the Subgradc such places
should be thoroughly and properly
drained by the use of drain tile laid
along the center of the roadway on one
or more lines to CulvertS intcrSccting
across the road. thus draining and dry
ing out the Subgradc and giving n dry
foundation on which to build, as the
presence of any undue quantity OF
moisture under the roadway would pre-
vent permanent work
The width of the roadway should be
determined by the travel On ordinary
country roads width OF 20 feet from
outside of ditch would be ample. 4
roadway of this width, properly grad
ed, with sufficient height and slope to
drain quickly, with storm water speed
lily disposed Of in the side bitches,
would give drainage and dry road eX-
cept during storms.
The tendency of most rOadmakprS is
to dig up the whole right of way be
cause it belongs to the township, go
ing from hedge to hedge, blowing and
scraping and disturbing the settled
condition Of the soil, thus losing annu-
ally vast quantities of valuable mate
rial for road construction. which. be.
ing constantly washed out, eventually
brings the road to lower level than
the surrounding lands, making 1t ca
nal instead of roadway and forcing
all water from the adjacent lands into
the canal and on to the road.
On comparatively fiat lands, where
slope Is slight and water moves slow
ly, all grading material should he TAX
cn from the lower ditch, and culverts
should be supplied wherever water
ways occur. The tendency of road
workers to attempt to carry water
long distances in upper bitches should
be diScOuntenanced. as it ScepS through
and into the roadway, softening the
grade. The only obstruction to the
flow of water down these slopes should
be the grade, which would force the
storm water into the low places, where
il could quickly be put across the road
with proper culvertS. In fact, on fiat
lands there should be no upper ditch,
as the grade would be a sufficient OBJ
StruCtiOn to the flow of water down
the slopes, forcing it into and through
the culverts to the lower ditch.
The location of these culvcrtS de-
pendS entirely upon the lay of the
ground. The size Of tho pipe used Is
determined hy the fall. The capacity
OF the pipe is determined by the veloci-
ty Of the water in It, All fall should
be increased If possible by having eli
thcr no ditch or very shallow one on
the upper side of the roadway.
Road builders should conserve fall
at every opportunity, increasing it if
possible, thereby decreasing the size
of the pipe required and lcSScning the
cost of the culVerts. 1t is just as eco
nOmcal for the rOadmaker to put In
five II inch pipes at intervals along a
mile of road as 1t Is for him to carry
the water along the roadway in the
upper ditch mile or more and be COM
PEELED to use Il 81 inch pipe. If he
were to put the water across the road
IN short runs where low places exist
ed, he would then prevent that much
secpage from sOftcnng the road. In
fact, a we'll drained road is usually a
good road. excepting where sand Oc-
2urs,
- Keep the Roads Clean.