The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-06-23
IMPROVEMENT
OF ROADS
Nobody Benefits More By
the Fine Highways Than
the Farmers
VALUES EVERYWHERE GO UP
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING
ROADS AND IMPORTANCE OF
PERFECT DRAINAGE

ment of highways of the state OF Maine
has been issued by Commissioner. Paul
D. Sargent. 1t is a voluminous docu-
sment and contains much of interest.
Here are some interesting excerpts
Country roads in general may be inn
proved in the following ways: BY cut
ting out the bushes and grubbing out the
roots. BY Strengthening the graded por-
ton of the road and taking out the short
sharp and dangerous corners and curves.
BY widening the roads. By improving
the drainage. By cutting down the hills.
There are miles of our country roads
upon which no marked Improvement can
be made until the bushes are first re-
moved Indeed, the thorough removal Of
these bushes would be of great value to
to dry the surface early in the spring.
When bushes are removed the roots
should be grubbed out and both bushes
and roots piled neatly and burned as
soon as dry.
Under no circumstances should they
be thrown into the side bitches, back
against the fences or upon adjoining
land Highway rights of way should
present as neat appearance as do the
railroad rights of way. and if the above
suggestions are followed in performing
this work and a little care taken in clean
ing up after the work is completed our
roadsides can gradually be made perma-
nently attractive.
There are in nearly every town
stretches of road made up of seveNl
short courses and before improvement is
undertaken on any of these, all short,
sharp corners and curves should be elm
mated as far as possible.
Many of our roads present a. crooked
appearance, when in reality the location
sa straight line, the crooks having been
made when the road was graded to re-
ieve the builders from grubbing out
stump or removing boulder. If i'm
proyement is contemplated on a road in
this condition, by all means let a begin
ming be made by Strengthening the grade
so that the finished road will bear the
marks of good workmanship. By the
use of few stakes for lining up new
work, road commissioners will, in widen
ing roads, be able to make use of all of
the old grade and have good straight
road as result
A poorly drained earth road viii wear
better if wide than when narrow. as the
traffic will then be more evenly distribut-
ed over the surface, and in consequence
there will be less liability Of the traffic
forming deep ruts during the muddy sea-
son. These ruts increase in depth rap
idly and are exceedingly detrimental to
any road.
For three or four months in the sum-
mer season many of our country roads
are pleasant roads to travel During the
spring and fall however, these same
roads are in many instances mires To
improve this condition the cause must
be removed, the water must be kept
away from them and that which falls
on them speedily taken away. Sub
drainage will keep the sub-soil water
away from the road foundations and
proper crown and surface drainage will
carry away that which falls upon their
surface We believe there is no one
thing which will return better results
for money expended on roads than will
drainage.
Next to securing perfect drainage at
tentior should be directed to reducing
steep grades in order that the benefits
arising from improving other portions of
the road may not be lost by the inability
of teams to haul a full load up. the
grades. 1t should be determined posi-
lively that no better route can be obs
tanned around the hill before money. is
laid out on the hin in permanent inn
provements, as it win probably be inn
possible to change the location after
much permanent work has been done.
Cutting off the tops of hills and filing
at the bottom will be the only way of
reducing grades where the old location is
followeds One-half of the road may be
excavated and scraped out at time.
leaving the other half for traffic to use.
The worst hill should be treated first
and completed before work is begun on
Others.
In maintaining or repairing the surface
of any road, filing depressions and ruts
materials like that composing the sur