The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-04
MUST Be FIXED.
What 1t VIII Cost to Resurface
Asphalt Streets.
Kansas Avenue Now In Bad
Condition.
MUNICIPAL REPAIRS.
Several Cities Run Their Own
Asphalt Plants.
Streets and Walks Committee
Will Discuss Proposition.


pavements?
That is question which the streets
and walks committee of the city coun-
Gil is planning to take up within the
present month, and it promises to be
the most perplexing problem which has
confronted the committee for a long
! time.
| Can the city afford to pay out from
$1,000 to $4,000 year for asphalt pave
ment repairs? Can it, on the other
hand, allow the beautiful asphalt pave
mentS to go to pieces and become, as
they rapidly are becoming. disgrace to
/ the city? The brick trust of course
would like to have them replaced with
| brick
missioner has, under orders from the
streets and walks committee, filled up
the worst holes in the asphalt on Kan
Sas avenue with broken rock. In past
years, the holes have been filed with
pulverized rock, which wasn't so bad.
But the broken rock is about the limit.
1t does not stay where it belongs, and
does not solidify into one mass, as the
pulverized rock does. 1t scatterS all
over the pavement, and is very rough
and unsatisfactory.
During the past year, the deteriora-
ton of the Kansas avenue pavement has
waves which is the beginning of the
last stages of decay. 1t has been patch
ed so often that it is literally. pave
ment of ''shreds and patches"
Kansas avenue, which ought to be
the best paved street in Topeka, is now,
with the exception of West Sixth, prob
ably the toughest and worst. But it is
not the only asphalt street which is in
sore need of repairs Out on West
Tenth, along the south side of the state
house square, there are patches of pave
ment as large as well developed barn
door where the asphalt is gone entirely:
fr7.% hole 6.rf Of
them A similar condition prevails on
West Eighth.
Quincy street is not in very bad shape.
and Harrison street is probably the
best of any asphalt in the city
But something will have to be done
about Kansas avenue. and that right
quickly.
1t will soon be necessary to either re-
surface Kansas avenue with asphalt or
brick. AS a rough estimate, the as
I phalt would cost from $3.50 to $3.50 per
square yard, and the brick about so
cents. 1t would mean however, the
permanent loss of the asphalt street
) and this paving on Kansas avenue has
been one of the features of Topeka
. There are about 10000 square yards in
. the block, exclusive of intersections,
. which the city at large would have to
: pay for The asphalt resurfacing would
cost between $500 and $4,000 a block.
City Attorney Spencer holds that so
long as the old asphalt is worth re-
81
made at the expense of the city at
/ large, but when the pavement is worn
out, then the property owners will have
to petition for a requirement. of the
. street, which will consist of putting
down a new surface of either brick or
asphalt Thus it becomes a question
for experts to determine whether or not
the asphalt pavement is worn out, or
whether it can be further repaired.
CITY Engineer McCabe states that
/ x1-Io
: the past two years the pavement has
! been found so rotten in places that it
was impossible to find a place to which
I the new asphalt patch could De sue
: cessfully bound.
: The city council will have to deter
mine where the money will come from
: to repair asphalt during the coming
: year. Last year the repairs cost ST.
: 500: the year before it was $500. The
Y five years before that cost $4,000, and
: a contract in 1893 cost the city 81, 400
[ The total cost of asphalt pavement re-
pairs has therefore been $54, 000- Dur
n ing the life of the brick Davements
the cost of repairs has been nothing
s This comparison is what makes the
: city council feel that it can not afford
5 to pay out such large sums for asphalt
: repairs.
$ The city engineer thinks that il
: would be better to quit making repair:
: on the asphalt, and resurface one OF
It two blocks each year with new asphal
f or with brick
MUNICIPAL REPAIR PLANT.
Some have suggested that munic
ipal asphalt repair plant be built. anC
: the city do its own work of resurfac
q ing and repairing 1t is thought tina
/ by this means good deal of expense
d could be saved. and the city would ge
It better work. 1t would also give tn
o city more independence from tn
. asphalt trust, although cities wher'
e municipal ownership of the repai
s plant has been tried have in som
v cases found it difficult to get the raw
J. asphalt
"a In a recent issue the Municipa
; Journal and Engineer says:
i The large prices demanded by tn
It asphalt trust for keeping its pavement
If in repair after the guaranty has ex
!, pired has caused many of the smalle
cities to look about for some cheape
means of securing the performance o
the same work. Some have bough
small asphalt plants, similar to thoS
IS made by City Engineer Hooke, o
z, Chattanooga, Tenn, and others hav
/ constructed home made plants tina
IS would answer the purpose. The lates
'e home made plant has been put in oper
e alton by City Engineer Fred Crandal
lie of Muncie, Ind, who gives the follow
n ing description of his work:
u In trying to maintain an asphal
lie pavement upon which the maintenance
or guaranty has expired, have expert
mented somewhat with asphalt in or
Ia der to lessen the expense
I'm the first place. procured tW
halves of iron boilers, about ffteel
;, feet long, and spread them to about sf-
Ii feet at the top. These I walled in Use
!. accompanying illustrations) with brlcl
= on both sides and one end, placing
u smokestack at the end of each and dig
- ging a trench under each for fire pi
= through which 1 got very good draft
= In these tanks 1 placed my sand an
- broken stone-about one part of ston
- to four parts of sand-heating the mix
:, ture sufficiently. Then poured owe
3, a the sand and stone hot asphaltic &c
- ment. to which I added about five pc
cent of oil, the latter being well mike
1000 ,nn1ica ton with iron paddle