The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-04-23
And Some Plan Must Be Adopted
to Restore Them to Proper
Condition.
Many of Them Are Almost Impassi-
BILE and Taxpayers are
Confronted With a Seri-
Gus Problem.

Ihdb many VI IuCm are dlmOst lH pas
sible. 1t is unsafe If not impossible
to drive faster than a walk over most
of the turnpikes leading into the city
and that something will have to be
done about it soon is evident.
A citizen of Fayette county, where
the conditions are doubtless similar,
writes to the Washington G. Il. Rec.
ord Republican offering some sugges-
tious that are worth pondering over
and the subject is of such vital i'm
portance to our citizens that the
suggestions are appended The writ
er Mr.. Add Burnett) says:
"rhe leading question confronting
our farmers to-day is what is to be
done to maintain our turnpikes In the
high condition they we're in many
years after they we're originally con-
structed The constantly decreasing
supply of good gravel and the increas-
ing cost of obtaining both gravel and
crushed rock, is causing the roads to
deteriorate from year to year, not
withstanding that more money is spent
on them annually than formerly
The solution of the question is for
permanent construction of vitrified
brick. Let the farmers of an adjoin.
ing road petition the county commis-
sioners of the bricking of the road
way for a width of say IL feet, and
assess the cost against the abutting
lands according to law. Or, If the inn
provement can be done in connection
with the proposed state law, wherein
the state will bear a portion of the
cost, then after the county pays its
lawful proportion, assess the balance
against the lands as above indicated.
Possibly the lands for a distance of
two mile on each side can be legally
assessed for this permanent improve
ment. If SO, the cost per acre will be
but trihe, and we will then have a
road good for 80 or 10 years, without
any outlay to maintain it. The brick
can be laid on the present foundation,
as the amount of gravel and crushed
rock now on the roads would make an
ideal foundation. All that is required
would be to make the driveway level,
lay the brick in sand of say two inches
in depth, and then put sand on the
brick to fill the spaces between them
BY this method If for any reason some
part of the roadway would sink down,
the brick could be taken up and sand
put under them to raise the grade,
without any trouble at al, whereas If
cemented together they would be
broken and hard to relay. At each
one half mile switch could be put
in--that is, widen the roadway to say
25 feet for a distance sufficient to
permit heavily loaded wagons to pass;
for instance, two hay wagons, or
loads that require considerable room
to pass. Now, as to the cost of this
permanent roadway We have the
foundation ready. We would need
brick and sand. First class vitrifed
brick are quoted at $3.50 per 1000 f.
o. b, car in Washington @. a There.
fore, the entire cost would be easily
determined. The road could be rooted
up with light expense, and leveled
with road grader. One thousand
brick will lay about 25 square yards.
If some of our progressive farmers
would take this matter up In their
neighborhood and have say mile or
two constructed along the lines indi-
Gated, we feel sure that the expert.
ment will be found so satisfactory that
1t will result In widespread adoption
of this practical and permanent
method of solving this road question,
and what is the best of all, 1t can be
done without proving a burden on
those directly interested, and in the
case of the construction of a house,
If high grade, and proven material,
like brick, stone or concrete, with
slate roof, is used, then the first cost
is all that is required for many years,
and 80 1t will be with a road built of
vitri6ed brick. 1t will cost more than
gravel and stone, as we now do, but
In the long run 1t will be found ten
times cheaper, aside from the salts
faction found in it's use, for with
road so constructed you can haul a
load of any weight you wish to, and
not consult the width of tire, nor the
powers that forbid. Let US "get
busy" and have done without the
present ruinous system of putting on
thousands of dollars worth of mate
rial that only helps temporary, and
which does not give US what we want,
and what we should have-a perma.
nent road"