Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-04-09
Senator Lee Makes an Appeal for
Cheaper Highways.

| oShueui LSS NhuhSS uu AppSuI IOi
Cheaper Highways.
Silver Spring, Md April S, 1909.
Hon. John M. Tucker, Chairman State Road.
Commission, Union Trust Building, Balti
more, Maryland.
Dear Sir I'm addition to the hurried
| communication | sent you on March 31st
permit me to send you this. which should
be considered in advance of that of March
3lst, the former going more into details.
have been urging upon your honorable
commission to reform the contract and meth
cd of construction heretofore used by the
Geological Survey in making the so-called
Shoemaker roads," This is preliminary
question of great importance otherwise
the mistakes alleged against the Shoe
maker roads" will continue to be made and
their high cost and their lack of durability
may be repeated in the State roads. The
great expense will also prevent the proper
mileage being built in the various counties.
Local conditions should be respected in
these matters as far as possible. Your
honorable commission has allotted $780,
600, more or less, to Baltimore county and
accepted the number of miles of road in
Dictated by Mr.. Shoemaker for Baltimore
county. from 80 to 80 miles, This seems
to imply spending $4,000 a mile on these
roads, most Of which are already stone
roads or pixies, probably more stable now
than the average Shoemaker road" My
personal judgment is that Baltimore coun-
ty should have go miles or more of road,
and that this larger mileage could be sub
stantially built under an improved form of
contract properly safeguarded against the
misdirection of funds. The criticism upon
Geological Survey roads may be general
lied under three heads.
First excessive cost.
(a). Involving the failure to use local
stone and the unnecessary and minute
changes of grade.
(b). The absence of proper precautions
for measuring the stone placed in the road
which is the principal item of cost of con-
struction. The measurement should be by
weight and by surfaces before rolling The
survey measures stone after rolling, when
it is difficult to tell about the thickness.
(c). The contract being so worded as ia
imply possibility of favOritism and to pre-
vent full competition between contractors
by arbitrary and indefinite provisions.
Second. lack of stability. primarily due
to lack of proper provisions for drainage.
Third, hostility to the old pixies shown by
the Geological Survey management and
chief engineer. This is thought to arise
from the obvious inferiority of the Geolog-
ical Survey roads to the old pixies, both in
cheapness of construction and durability
The Survey roads are ahead of the pixies
only in smOothness when first constructed
a temporary smoothness being the easiest
quality to secure i'm road construction.
The figures submitted to you March 3lst
show excessive cost and lack of durability
in the Geological Survey roads. This cost in
Montgomery county is as high as $1,000
and SIS, 900 mile, and they have aver
aged over $1,000 mile. The mainte-
nance charged for two of these roads. SC
far as have been able to segregate 1t in
the brief time available. is over $1,000 q
mile for two miles each Of stone road neal
here recently repaired, and $1,000 a mile
for repairs of two miles of Survey road
near Gaithersburg. as to which last the de-
tails sent you are over Mr.. Crosby s sigma
ture. In contrast with these high figures
herewith enclosed is statement from the
expenditures of the County Commissioners
of Montgomery county showing cost OF
construction of limestone road built by
the county without Geological Survey aid
This was done last year. This county-built
road cost little over $4,000 a mile. and
Wltut 10 tllOlC II uCCho -
pairs this spring. Additional cheapness
could have been secured but for the fact
that the 1000 tons of stones, more or less
used were brought in by railroad from the
next county. II local stone had been used
with limestone top. trap-rock top, the con
struction would have been much cheaper
The county was not equipped for crushing
! stone.
The significance of the vote in your hon.
orable commission, as reported in the pa
pers of yesterday three in favor OF ant
three against accepting the gift OF 81 IL
miles of turnpikes from Montgomery cOun
| ty, is so great that a protest seems propei
against the negative vote of the two mem
bers of the Geological Survey and Mr.. Shoe
maker. The act under which you are OPP
Grating clearly authorizes both the buying
of pixies and acceptance of gifts OF pixies
In order to clear up the whole turnpike
question for our county the offer was made
in behalf Of the localities to buy those
turnpikes and turn them over without ex
pense to your honorable commission M
State roads. They are main roads in every
sense Of the term and they would not have
been constructed and kept up as pixies Ii
they had not been main roads, II Is yer,
| important to the citizens of northern ant
| tHhLtTn VI montgomery 1Ouhty ~
have the State roads through Howard
brought to SHELLS bridge and the pixies
uniting at Ashton in Montgomery county
near SHELLS bridge, would. If taken over By
you, give our people in Montgomery county
free access to the Baltimore markets. II
order to secure this access the effort wal
primarily made which resulted in Offering
you these pixies In Montgomery county
roads are demanded less costly and bette
than the Geological Survey has constructed
| We have built IS miles of these Survey
roads and have II miles under c0nstruc
ton. | was the first to subscribe and still
recommend Geological Survey roads Il
to the people Of Montgomery county be
cause the State pays One-half and at o
the States One-half is not misapplied
| The universal sentiment Of our county il
opposed to the extravagance we have seer
in the making Of the Survey roads nnt
would deplOre the loss Of a similar portion
of the great loan which you are about L
expend This loss il apparently inevita
bic if you pursue the present Geological
Survey plans. In criticising these plans
with which we have had 80 much expert
ence, we recognize that several OF tn
judges that hear this appeal are closet
identified with the plans and specification
under criticism. Personal consideration
should not prevent criticism and correctin
the methods Of the Geological Survey. es
pecially when these methods seem abou
to be applied on q much larger scale.
1t Is respectfully submitted that the pike
in this county should be accepted an
that improved plans and specifications b
| employed in the construction OF the Stat
roads. If by more carefully spending tn
money we can build two miles in Mon