The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-11-24
A COMBINATION ROAD
ADVANTAGES OF A DIRT AND STONE
HIGHWAY.

venient Road For Many Sections.
There are not few people who de-
cry the dirt road as being utterly
worthless under any and all circum-
stances" says William Il. Voorhees, in
the Good Roads Magazine. accord
ing to these numerous critics no road
worthy of the name can be made Of
dirt. 1t is wasteful and extravagant
creation; a thing that swallows taxes,
mlres horses and wagons, fills the trav-
eler with dust, and, in short, is an evil
from any standpoint that it may be
viewed. The opponents of the dirt
road naturally look upon the stone
highway as an ideal thoroughfare.
They point to its excellent tractive
qualities; they call attention to the
fact that it is dry in winter as well as
in summer, and they argue that it is
the consummation to be desired by
every progressive community.
"Now, the fact of the matter is-as
any unprejudiced student Of the road
question will admit-neither Of these
views is wholly correct. The dirt road
as ordinarily built and maintained is
a very poor affair, especially in the
winter and early spring months, but
there are seasons when dirt road is
preferable to a stone highway for light
driving. The stone road, If well built,
is so far in advance Of the dirt high
way that many people have reached
the conclusion that as matter of con-
venience and economy the former
should supplant the latter in every
case. But the stone road has its linn
itations. In dry weather 1t is not
pleasant to travel over ON account of
the noise that is caused by the horses
hoofs and the wagon tires coming in
contact with the hard material. The
ideal highway would therefore appear
to be one which combines the best
features of the two most pronounced
types of roadway-namely, the dirt
and the stone. The best method to
feconomize in stone road construction
is to decrease the width Of the track.
A stone road eight feet in width neces-
sarily costs but one-half as much as
highway sixteen feet wide, and in the
large majority of cases it will answer
the purpose just as we'll as the wider
thoroughfare. It will therefore be seen
that the first advantage in favor of the
combination road Is that of cheapness
on account Of the narrow stone track
which is possible with this type of
highway.
1.-THE great disadvantage of a dirt
road is that it will hold water and is
easily cut into ruts and holes. During
the winter months of alternate freez-
ing and thawing it is practically i'm
possible to keep n waterlogged dirt
road in passable condition for travel.
On the other hand, the stone road, hay
ing a surface that is practically i'm
pervious to water, will remain hard
and firm even in bad weather. The
stone road is therefore strong at the
point where the dirt road is weak, but
in like manner the latter is strong
where the former is weak. In good
wca Their no one cares to use q stone
road for pleasure driving. The dirt
road is noiseless and the dust that
arises from it is not usually so I'M
pleasant as that which rises from a
mGcadam highway.
zone of the advantages Of such road
as is being described that will readily
occur to every practical roadmaker is
that it is less expensive to keep in re-
pair than the road which is construct
ed entirely Of stone or entirely Of dirt.
1t is well understood that dirt road
wears fastest in winter, while under
the usual conditions the largest wear
on q stone road occurs during the sum-
mer months. In the combination road
the stone track is principally used In
the winter, when it Is in the best con-
dition TO withstand the action Of traf-
fic, while the dirt road Is most largely
used during the summer months, when
travel has the least effect upon it. The
wear on each kind OF material is thus
reduced to minimum
at will therefore be seen that for
many sections the cheapest and most
highway is that which has
both Il stone and an earth track. The
width of the stone portion will depend
upon the width of the entire roadway;
it need not In any case be over twelve
feet wide and ordinarily it need not
be over eight feet in width. 1t is well
to bear in mind, however, that the
dirt and stone road is
only practical on reasonably wide
Narrow country roads
must, necessarily, be either all dirt or
all stone. On a road of from twenty to
twenty-four feet in width the stone
track can be constructed on one side.
On a road over twenty-four feet In
width the stone track can be placed |
in the middle, with a dirt drive
On either side. The stone portion |
should be constructed exactly In |
the manner that a macadam or tel |
ford highway is usually built. The |
french should first be excavated to the !
depth and proper width. The |
stone is then placed in this trench in |
courses and thoroughly rolled. Care |
should be exercised in the matter of |
he drainage Of the entire roadbed. 1t |
nay be argued that as the stone will |
lot wear as fast as the dirt some diff
,ulty will be experien ced in keeping |
he dirt portion Of the roadway on q
eyel with the stone Track. This OBJ