Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1904-07-02
ROAD IMPROVEMENT
SOME Points ON BUILDING A GOOD
HIGHWAY.

Essential Features In Constructing
Them-Use of the Roller and Grad
er-Width and Drainnge-IIow to
Repair Gravel Roads.
Every good road has two essential
features:
First.-The earth subsoll is well
drained, naturally or artiticially, max
ing a strong, unyiclding foundation.
acted upon in the least possible degree
by frost.
Second.-The wearing surface is
smooth, hard and compact crust, which
sheds water readily and distributes the
concentrated wheel load over greater
area of suDsoil.
The surface covering is generally
coating of gravel or broken stone,
which should be put on the road in
such a way that it will not in wet
weather be churned up and mixed with
the earth beneath-that is, it should
form distinct coating.
To accomplish this the gravel or
broken stone should contain very little
sand or clay-it should be clean.
The roads should be crowned or
rounded in the center, so as to shed the
water to the open drain.
Kuts should not be allowed to form,
as they prevent water from passing to
the open drains.
Tie open drains should have sufH-
cicnt fall and free outlet, so that the
water will not stand in them, but will
be carried away Immediately.
Tile underdrains should be laid wher-
ever the open drains are not sufficient
and where the ground has moist or
wet appearance, with II tendency to alb
sorb the gravel and rut readily. BY
this means the foundation is made dry.
Do not leave the gravel or stone just
as it drops from the wagon, but spread
1t so that travel will at once pass over
and consolidate it before the fall rains
commence.
Roll the gravel or stone with road
roller until it is smooth and hard; 9TH
erwise keep the road metal raked or
scraped into the wheel and horse tracks
until consolidated.
Grade and crown the earth road be
fore putting on gravel or stone; also
roll the earth road before putting on
the metal, if Il road roller is available.
The grader should start work early in
the spring and be kept continuously in
operation until the seasons work Is
completed. Work for the grading ma
chine should be staked out in advance
so that each piece can be taken up con-
Secutively; otherwise much time Is lost
in moving the machine from one part
of the township to another. \ fair
crown for gravel roads on level ground
Is one inch of rise to each foot of width
from side to center
The road on hills should have IL
greater crown than on level ground;
otherwise the water will follow the
wheel tracks and create deep rutS in
stead of passing to the side drains.
One and One-quarter inches to the foot
from the side to center will be suffi-
cient
Roads of Importance should be about
twentyfour feet in width between the
inside edges of the open bitches, with
the central eight feet graveled or met
aled with broken stone. Roads of least
travel should not be less than eighteen
feet in width.
Wherever water stands on the road
way or by the roadside or wherever
the ground remains moist or IS swampy
In the spring and fall better drainage
is needed. Look over the roads after
heavy rains and during spring freshets.
The work of few minutes in freeing
drains from obstruction or divertng
current of water into proper channel
may become the work of days If neg
lected. Surface water should be dis
posed of in small quantities; great nc
foundations are hard to handle and
are destructive. Obtain outlets into
natural water courses as often as pos
sible.
Repair old gravel roads which have
hard center, but too little crown, and
which have high, square shoulders by
cutting off the shoulders, turning the
material outward across the ditch II
necessary and placing new gravel or
stone In the center of the road. DO not
cover the old gravel foundation with
the mixture of earth, sod and fine
gravel of which the shoulders are COM
posed. The shoulders can be most
easily cut off by means of a grading
machine. In taking gravel from the
pit see that precautions are taken to
draw only clean material. Gravel which
retains Il perpendicular face in the pit
in spring and shows no trace of Slip
ping is generally fit for use on the road
without treatment. Dirty gravel should
be screened.
Do all work with a view to perma-
nence and durability.-Seventh Annual
Report Of Commissioner of Highways,
Ontario, Canada.