The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-08-05
macadam Street Work at Cambridge.

More convincing argument is found in
favor Of the eXpedicncy of building first.
class roads, i'll single practical example
where good results have been obtained
| than in any amount of discussion where
actual results are often exaggerated, and
| by the disappointment which occur ia
certain instances, really retard the pro-
motion of model highways. The adj
vantages offered TO the counties of Mary
land by the reCently-cnactedl law for state
aid to road-building, are inclining county
officials and residents tOaYaIl themselves
OF the offer and the mention OfOne object
lesson i'll the town of Cambridge, demon
Strating the greater satisfaction of
racadam roads over other materials
will show how unwise it will be to allow
the opportunity to secure these state
funds TO pass unappreciated.
Street-huilding and repairing in Cam
bridge had become a more expensive item
every year, until finally the lately retired
Board of Commissioners after consider
ing many plans OF street building, decided
to put down Il macadam road on the
the most frtqucnted street of the town.
They considered that to meet the Situa-
ton i'll this way would mean Il greater
initial expense but would be cheaper in
the end, besides giving much greater
satisfaction to traffic. The results have
fully justified their determination. In
this work the Commissioners received
free of cost the assistance of Mr.. A. n.
Johnson highway engineer of the Mary
land Geological Survey, and were able 10
put down road which so far has met
every requirement and is Il great I'M
provcment over the shell road which it
replaced. There is now about six foot
more of carriage room than in the old
street, the road drains perfectly, it has a
firmcr resisting surface, it dries out more
quickly after rain, and it is less cXpcn-
sive when its lasting qualities are con-
sidcred. In speaking of the great iul-
provement made by the road, the Demo-
crat and News of Cambridge says:
THE Board decided to build macadam
road although each member knew there
was some opposition to the new method
Its expense was pointed out; its lasting
qualities were doubted. Fortunately,
the Board did not allow this opposition
which WAS by no means insignificant. to
deter it from going to the bottom OF the
plan and now the town is better off by
reason of the courage of the old Board
The strcct-building and repairing was
becoming Il. more expensive item every
year, the Board decided to try to meet
the situation in Il method more expensive
in the first cost, but cheaper in the end.
All of which goes to show that the first
step made by the Board i'll the direction
of modern road-building was Il step in
the right direction and further progress
in this direction will result in the better
ment of the streets Of the town and
decrease in the expense of building and
repairing streets. 1t is we'll to remark
here however that the work could have
been done better if the county had been
equipped with steam-rolicr to pack the
material. AS it turned out, it had to be
left to passing teams to pack the road
and i'll order to hold the material in place
Il great deal of fine stuff had to be put on,
rendering the road dustier than would
have been necessary if Il stcan-roiirr mad
been available. In the course of time
however the fine stuff, will pack and dis
appear us the road becomes more and
more use !. 1t is also said that the cost of
the road need not have been as gr~lt as it
proved as certain items of expense which
may be curtailed in the future were Vii
necessarily undergone.