Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-11-06
GOOD ROADS PROBLEM
FIRST OF SERIES OF INTERESTING
ARTICLES.

Read Before The Good Roads School Of low,
Highway Commission by Col. W. F.
i Baker. Member Board Of Super.
| visors. Pottawattamie County.
In the argument would make fol
the improvement of public highways
for the state of Iowa, / would not ad.
wise one additional dollar. but tina!
the money we now have and are col.
lecting each year should be expended
judiciously. The sum we collected
in 1905. 30, 292. 600, is amply sufi-
cient, in my opinion to put the roads
Of Iowa in good condition in few
years.
There is now collected in the sew.
eral townships from $50 to $45 for
every mile of road within its limits.
The township superintendents OF
roads should made a report Of their
expenditures weekly, upon ray.
roll, showing to whom the money is
paid. and upon what road it is ex-
pended and file it with the township
trustees.
There should be an improvement
club in every township of representa-
tive men who would see to it that the
money is properly expended. OF
course, it is understood that no trus-
tee is to handle dollar of the public
funds any more than supervisors,
Legislators or congressman, as they
are not bonded officers.
In my opinion the township road
officers should refrain from buying
expensive machinery. but should pur.
chase q road drag for each mile of
road within the township, which
could be done at comparatively low
expense. Then il they would employ
an expert road gang that has been
schooled to the work of building roads
and pay them by the payroll. and
build from twelve to fifteen miles of
road each year, they could have all
the roads in good condition and make
some permanent gain each year. By
the judicious use of the road drag
they could keep this road. after being
built. in good repair and also by the
use of the drag they could improve
the road largely before grading.
The first principle of building a
road to be used as dirt road. maca.
dam road or gravel surface road is
to seek q smooth firm surface to build
upon. then gradually raise the road
by bringing up the surface not to ex-
ceed two or three inches at time
and following it with heavy roller.
In this manner we build up an earth
road SO that it will slope from the
center about one and one-half inches
per foot and have width of from
thirty to forty feet, ditch to ditch.
rolling to the outside of the ditch as
firmly as we do in the center Of the
road. Upon grades we have learned
that it is not best to crown the roads
to any extent, but to let the water
drain over the surface Of the road nm.
til it reaches the bottom. thus pre-
venting the bitches from quilting.
We have paid but little attention to
the drainage Of roads. as building a
road in this manner one and one-half
to two feet higher that the surround
ing land will prevent any under soak
injuring to the road.
Where bitches. unevenness and deep
ruts are found in a road, the road
should be plowed as deep as. the bot
toms of the ruts or bitches. thrown
out with grader and packed back in
as described.
Excellent results are obtained by
distributing 800 yards of cinders per
mile along the road and then plowing
the roadbed to depth Of FIVE inches
below the cinders a width of ten feet.
and then moving the cinders to the
outside of the road with grader
which tends to mix the cinders about
half and half. Upon the solid found.
alton this mixture is packed back as
we do in the dirt road. This makes a
road in my opinion, more durable
than macadam, and rubber tires have
no effect on its surface. neither does
the rain have any effect
This gives about nine inches of
solid roadbed about ten feet wide.
The use for heavy loads of wagons
having tires not less than four inches
in width would reduce the mainten-
ance cost of the rOadbed seventy-five
per cent. The use of the drag to in
duce travel over the surface of the
road, would in short time make a
roadbed SO hard that the rains would
have but little effect upon it. You
must remember that wagon loaded
with two or three tons with four
inch tire, has q surface pressure of
more than twice what the best rollers