The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-30
TAR MACADAM PAVEMENT.

4
In a recent report our consul at On
tario, Canada, gave an interesting and
| instructive account of the tar maca-
| dam pavement that is being used in
| that city with such success as to at
tract a great deal of attention. In view
of the fact that the authorities of this
city are seeking for a paving mater
ial that is as good as vitrifed brick,
and which is less expensive. they
might study this report with profit.
The consuFs name is James M. Shep-
ard, and his report can be obtained
! from the State Department.
Mr.. Shepard says that he was so
much impressed with the cheapness
and durability of the macadam pave
ment, as he saw it in Ontario, that he
| deemed 1t his duty to embody a de-
scription of it in his report to the de-
nartment for the benefit of the cities
of this country.
The macadam pavement is of course,
composed of broken stone and tar. The
base is made of stones of pretty fair
ElZeu piODOIllOAS OU lIllS 10 PAdCCu a
layer of smaller stones which have
, been treated with hot tar. The top lay
er or surface is composed of gravel
that has been passed through %-inch
screen, and well mixed with tar, about
twenty gallons of tar being used to
one cubic yard of gravel. OF course in
the various stages of the pavement
heavy roller is used.
Consul Shepard says that the cost of
this pavement is 6S cents a square
yard or about one-third or One-haf
the cost of asphalt or vitrified brick
pavement. 1t will last ten years when
subjected to heavy travel without be-
ing repaired, and longer if the travel
upon it is light. The cost of resurfac-
ing is twenty-five cents a square yard.
1t has the advantage of being almost
free from dust, and is not as noisy as
asphalt and much less noisy than
vitrified brick. a pavement of this
kind that was put down in Ontario
twenty-five years ago is in excellent
state of preservation and has been re-
LdCtu Dul OllCes III all llldN lllilC IL
been subjected to the wear and
tear of very heavy traffic-a traffic
consisting of teams hauling loads of
merchandise to warehouses.
Is not this the sort of pavement
we want here in Savannah? 1t will be
recalled that the tar pavement on
Liberty street has been more durable
than any of the asphalt pavements
which have been laid here. 1t has not
been repaired. if we are not mistaken,
except in one or two places, and it
seems to be as good as the day it was
put down. 1t gets a little soft in hot
weather, but the macadam pavement
wouldn't be subjected to that objec-
ton because it would have a much
smaller amount of tar in it.
OF course we know nothing about
this pavement except what Consul
Shepard says about it, but it seems to
us that 1t is a pavement that should
be investigated by our city authori-
ties. If we can put down two miles of
pavement every year for the cost of
each mile that we are now putting
down-a pavement that is as good if
not better, than vitrif1ed brick-we
ought to look into the merits of the
paving material that would enable us
to do it. About everybody in the city
wants streets paved, and if we can
get much cheaper, and, at the same
time, better paving material than
that which we are now using there is
no question but that we should get it.