Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1909-06-17
TOUR OF INSPECTION,
Value Of a Day Spent With a
State Highway Commissioner.
RoADMAkING POINTS GAINED.

Right Way 60 Sprinkle q Maeadam
Roadway - Three Wise Drainage
RuIes-Formins q subsrade-Gravel
and Teiford Road Construction.
1--WE start every morning at exactly
half past O'clock" said State High
way Commissioner James II. Macdon-
aid of Connecticut on recent evening
when the writer was arranging for
days trip In the official automobile
over the highways which have made
that state famous for it's good roads.
1t was then o o'clock or later, and the
commissioner had just returned home,
so we anticipated a strenuous tomor-
row. Promptly at the hour appointed
all We're ready for the start.
The improved roads over which we
Travelled have moderate grades and
smooth surfaces Though some of
them were built dozen years ago and
have never been treated with oil on
tar or any special preparation, they
We're in perfect condition except for
some few spots where the autos are
doing their destructive work, and the
need of little trap rock dust to pro-
tect the second course Of stone is ap-
parent.
| One Of the first points noticed on
this trip was that the state roads out
side of the villages were smoother han
those connecting with them that are
under the care of the municipalit les
says Charles S. Long in the Good
Roads Magazine. Within one town the
commissioner called attention to a
sprinkling wagon that was forcing the
water down on the macadam and flush
ing the fine dust to the cutters instead
of spraying it gently and leaving 1t to
| form n binder to the road. That kind
of sprinkling tends to ruin macadam
roadway by removing the surfacing
material, just as the motor car and
the wind remove 1t.
Speaking OF stretch Of road that
extended like a ribbon Of asphalt until
the perspective brought 1t to point at
the farthest limit of vision, the COM
missioner explained that 1t was con-
structed OF gravel and had been sur
faced with trap rock dust. Many Of
the dirt and gravel roads Of the state
are being treated in this way. They
are graded and rolled and then, after
q year or so, are given surfacing OF
trap rock splinters and dust, which
abound in the state. The state fur
nishes annually a certain amount Of
broken stone or screenings to each
town, and along the sides Of the roads
are to be seen piles Of this material
surmounted by signboards bearing the
words "State Property"
When q road Of whatever kind al
construction is to be built with state
aid in Connecticut the plans are drawn
in the commissioners Office in the cap
itol building at Hartford. An engineer
is then sent to establish the grader
along the proposed road. These grades
are verified from time to time by the
engineer, and stakes which may have
been displaced IN the prosecution OF
the work by the contractor are reset
so that the finished road shall conform
exactly to. the original specifications.
Drainage Is attended to first on thu
principle Of the commissioners famoui
three ''keeps''-viz, Keep the wate,
of the road, keep 1t out Of the road
keep 1t from under the road" Thii
having been attended to, the neces
sary bridges and culverts are arranged
for These are being constructed o.
concrete as fast as possible.
Then comes the forming Of the sub
grade The contractor Is required II
building any kind OF road to remov,
all loan, roots and vegetable matte,
from the proposed travel way Of tn,
road and also everything Of spong,
nature. II there Is not material enough
to bring the subgrade to the heigh
required the contractor must suppl.
the deficiency. II there is an overplu
from cuts 1t must be disposed Of &C
cortling to directions. The subgrad,
is rolled thoroughly with ten tol
steam roller and brought to the exac
contour Of the finished road surface
Importance is laid upon the manner o
building the shoulder. In fact, impor
tance Is laid upon every step in tn
progress Of construction, for the com
missioner says that there are no 'littl
things" in roadmaking, and the COZ
tractor is required to extend the shou
der several inches on to the travel
way and thoroughly roll or ram tn
material down to the establishe
grade and then cut 1t back to the line
This renders it firm and unyielding t
the metaling.
In the construction Of gravel roa
1t is specified that 1.-The first cours
shall consist of good, clean gravel. nc
less than 80 per cent Of gravel, th
balance material that will bind. n
loan will be allowed
"The gravel shall range from pc
y stone to three inches at Its longest d
! ameter. Care must be taken to hav
q the gravel as near uniform in qualit
rs possible, avoiding sand, the sma
sizes to predo,nInate. The grav,
shall be spread on uniformly and rol
> n down. after Mhi&h sprinkler sha