Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-11-16
ROAD IMPROVEMENT.
GOOD HIGHWAYS AND METHODS OF
BUILDING THEM.
Construction OF Brick Track Ronds
Recommaendcd-Thcir Cost and Du-
rability-Empl of COnvicts
In Highway Building.

neutrality-suspicious. of Convict
In Highway Building.
The present general movement fO
better roads and the prospect of ma
llolal aid in road building have great!
stimulated the study of the best meth
DDS of road building.
While to the general public the idei
of building permanent roads is to ust
broken stone after the system frs
employed by John Macadam about the
year 1885. other methods should be
carefully studied In order to build the
best and most durable roads at the
| lowest cost.
1t seems remarkable fact, in view
or the great improvements in every
thing connected with modern life, that
we are still building our roads the
same way they We're built over 100
years ago. says the WaynesborO pa
Herald This resulted from the uni
vers;,l introduction of the railroad,
which caused the improvement of our
common roads to be sadly neglected as
well us advancement in the art of
building them.
a great obstacle in the way of build
ing durable roads of crushed stone is
found in the lack of suitable stone in
most localities where good road stone
Is found. In New York state, for IN
stance. where road building has been
very active In recent years, stone has
been shipped over 800 miles In some
instances in order to obtain stone OF
good quality.
The lack of good road material has
caused careful study OF various meth
DDS OF road building by experts, with
the result that for general use n mod
ification Of the old stone wheel track
or tramway roads, which have been in
constant use for over a hundred years
without material wear or cost, has
been highly recommended. The old
tramway roads could only be built at
reasonable cost in few localities hav-
ing suitable stone, but by substituting
paving brick for the stone slabs this
superior form OF road can be cheaply
built in every locality.
In fact. even in the favored localities
where good road stone is abundant the
use of these brick wheel tracks consid-
erably decreases the first cost of roads.
while they practically do away with all
repair expenses as well as the dust and
mud and ut the same time enable three
to four times the load to be hauled
with the same team force
This improved method of road build
ing has been adopted in a number OF
localities ard tie cost has been found |
to be from $1,000 to $500 a mile, ac- |
corling to the relative cost Of ma
terals. labor, etc. while the average |
cost Of crushed stone roads has been |
about $4,000 mile in New York, where
the greatest amount OF road building |
has recently been done
A section Of this brick track road In
the United States department of agri-
culture grounds during the last four
seasons shows no material wear and
has been uniformly free from dust.
mud and ruts during that time, while
IN adjacent section Of crushed stone
'oad has been nearly ruined during
he same time. partly by the washing
II water.
For hilly roads these brick wheel
racks are especially adapted. as by
depressing the tracks below the ad-
accent road surface the water Is sue
essfully carried down the hills on
hem without washing the roadway
nd without the use of the objection
bic wafer breaks, besides enabling
hree times tho grade 10 be used with
ut disadvantage.
Government road officials recommend
hat long term cOnvcts be employed in
In making the brick, &C
lent. etc. for these roads, and short
erm convicts be used in making the
Dads. to the moral and physical bet
armeDt Of the convicts. and claim that
} this way the building of these supe-
Or and most durable Of roads should
Dst but $500 to 81. 200 q mile in many
)calities THIS makes an interesting
with the cost OF $1,000
lille III New York state for crushed
tone roads. some Of which have been
early ruined by two or three years Of
Sc, while wheel tracks similar to the
rick tracks, built Of stone, near Al
any. y. v. In 1893. Mt IL cost of 81, 500
mile. show very little wear In more
ian seventy years OF constant and
pavy traffic.
II cOnvictS were thus employed in
ich penitentiaries MS Sing Sing. New
Ork. for instance, where the best OF
lick clays could he delivered at very
w cost by boat, and from which the
lex etc. could be cheaply shipped
: boat to nearly every point along the
opposed New Yorl; and Chicago road. q
at road 00Gll probably be built for "
IS than one-fifti Of the cost OF build. Z"
& IL Cf crushed stgHe, have three =,
mes the smOOthness ana mare than T,
IL times the durability OF crashed r,
one road and at the same time be ~
arly dustlcss and mudless. -
Brick made ut Sing Sing could also ~
cheaply delivered at all points in
.ss York state and also be shipped to
points along Lake Erie by boat, .,
us enabling the greater part OF the =,
opposed New York and Chicago road =,
be built 10y this superior system and =,
u cost 50 low as to he insignificant =.
ION compnrrd with its substantial. 4,
d lasting benefits. ~
,, r.