The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-10-06
Macadam Roads and the State Aid
Law.

Macadam Roads and the State Aid
Law.
The recent action Of the Queen Anne's
county authorities in resembling their
resolution made last spring, to take up
their share of the state aid road fund for
the building of macadam roads, and TO
substitute for macadam compromise
upon sand-clay roads, has raised the
question whether there can be any such
compromise in the quality and construc-
ton of the state roads from the stipula-
tons laid down in the state aid road law
itself, and it would seem good thing TO
have the matter definitely settled at once
for all future time. The residents of the
counties generally consider that Queen
Anne's county is making mistake in
ueglecting to secure the nucleus for a
fine road system. and Mr.. Walter W..
Crosby, the highway engineer of the
state, in an interview not only asserts
that sand-clay roads cannot be built
under the state law, but that macadam
roads are economically as we'll as physic-
ally more desirable than those of sand
and clay.
at is a mistake, !" says Mr.. Crosby, ito
think for a moment that these so-called
cheap roads can in any way be COM
pared to macadan, even from the stand
point of expense, as has been proven by
experience with stone roads. and the
residents of Queen Anne's county are
mistaken even about the initial cost of
these sand-clay or gravel roads. They
put the cost of this form of road at $500
per mile, but this is not fair compar.
ison with the S. 900 per mhe for macad-
am, because this does not include grad
ing, pipes or bridges. When we speak of
macadam costing IS, 900 per mile, this
includes grading, pipes and bridges. and
the actual cost of a sand.clay or gravel
road, over all, is really $4,000
"The sand-clay road has to berepaired
every spring, for it will not stand the
strain of the winter weather, and in win
ter and spring it is very unsatisfactory,
whereas, the properly made macadam
road-and mark we'll what say-will
last for twenty years without any more
improving or rebuilding than cleaning
out the bitches. That may seem impos-
sible to those who do not know real ma
cadam roads, but make positive asser-
ton that roads upon which the travel is
no heavier than on our. Eastern Shore
should last from five to twenty years
without having shovelful of material
thrown upon them. OF course this has
no reference to washouts, because the
latter may injure any road at any time,
but as far as wear and tear from travel is
concerned, macadam road should last
fully as long as have said. A macadam
road is always good if properly built.
Permanent stone roads cost money to
build, but once built no cheap road is
as Inexpensive to keep in order. Build
ing macadam roads often requires expen-
sive grading, but in spite of the initial
expense they are really cheaper. even at
the start, and the Queen Anne's county
people have certainly computed badly in
their comparative calculations. upon the
building of roads. / have learned from
an official of that county that it costs
$500 year to keep in repair the three
miles of road running out of Chestertown
to Centerville, outside of the expense of
bridges and grading.
''Now, the county proposed this year to
appropriate $II,o for their share of the
state roads, and experience has shown
that such roads would have been about
$50 per year for the next ten years. The
county could borrow this money for less
sum of interest than it has spent each
year in repairing this three miles of road,
to say Lothing of the interest upon this
repair sum, so that under the plan which
we proposed the county could save
enough to pay the interest on the money
borrowed, gradually pay back the prin-
cipal. and enjoy good roads meanwhile.
What can the county boast of now. for all
its financial economy, and sand-clay
roads would not prove to be what the
county really needs.
"Sand-clay or gravel roads cannot be
built under the state law. The idea OF
the state in appropriating this money is
to encourage the counties to build per-
mauent roads. and not cheap ones, which
will prove no more satisfactory than the
present imperfect system"