Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-02-20
NEW PAVING MATERIAL.
Authorities of New York Town
Utilize Bituminous Macadam
with Gratifying Success.


One of the problems confronting
municipal authorities is the question
that occupies a considerable part OF
the public mind. In New York as
phalt has had the preference of late
years, but it has so many disadvan-
tages in wet weather and in winter
that the advent of another and better
pavement is joyfully hailed. In the
lower part of Yonllers, at Park Hill
station, there has just been laid the
first sample of bituminous macadam
pavement around New York.
a repres entative of the New York
Tribune paid a visit to Park Hill the
other day, and this is what he saw:
For about two city blocks the BIZ
luminous pavement has been laid.
The grade of the streets ranges from
six to IL per cent, none of it level
Of course, there has been no chance
to tell what the result will be. In
other cities and towns throughout
the country, however, it has stood
the severe tests of heavy traffic and
The foundation for this roadway
was constructed on the same princi.
pie as that of macadam road; thai
is, brokeV stone of assorted sizes,
spread over carefully prepared and
rolled subgrade, and rolled with a
heavy road roller. After this broken
stone had been thoroughly COM
/. I, =
manner, it was covered with thin
bituminous compound. which is sufIi-
GENTLY liquid to adhere to the stone
and prepare it for the reception of
thicker bituminous cement, which
was then placed upon it in suffi-
GENTLY thick coat to cover the entire
surface.
On the foundation thus prepared
was placed the wearing surface, COM
posed of all sizes of selected stones,
varying from w inches in its largest
dimension to an impalpable powder,
so regulated as to fill every void or in
terstice. This graded stone is me-
chanically mixed with a sufficient
quantity of bituminous cement to
thoroughly coat every particle of 1t.
so that no unit of the mineral in
! gredient remains without a suitable
coat of bituminous paint or cement
| This was then spread and raked hot
on the street. about 21h inches thick,
the heat of this mixture being suffi-
GENTLY great to melt the bituminous
cement on the foundation and thor.
oughlY unite the whole pavement in
to homogeneous mass. This was
then rolled and compressed until
thoroughly solid. During this rolling
the upper surface was thoroughly
covered with a thin coating of very
adhesive, quick-drying bituminous ce-
ment, which filled any irregularity or
crevice in the surface of the road
way.
On this surface was sprinkled hot
stone, graded in size from one-half
| to one-quarter of an inch, and thor
oughly rolled until it is united with
the mass. This gives an absolutely
non-slippery surface, presenting to
the eye the same smooth top as a
well-tinished macadam road but hav.
ing the inherent advantage over n
macadam roadway of being absolute.
ly united from top to bottom
Weather and traffic conditions are
unable to ravel out or break up tn,
surface thus united with the bitumin-
! Gus cement.
Owing to the gritty nature of the
surface, slipping of horses or the
wheels of rapidly driven automobiles
is rendered impossible. Because OF
the fact that the bituminous cement
used in the composition of this mix
ture is absolutely indestructible in
water, there can be no entry of this
element, which is so destructive to
the life of other pavements. There
is, then. a union of all the good
| qualities of a monolithic pavement
without the disadvantages and bad
! features-a smooth surface, unaf.
fected by water and absolutely non,
slippery.