Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1911-03-17
TINE TO DISCUSS DETAILS


The following editorial from the Balti-
more County Union of February 25th states
correctly Montgomery's attitude relative to
improved roads, and shows that they are
awakening elsewhere to the futility of per-
sistine in the construction of "veneered
macadam" roads:
we still hear, now and then, mention of
a campaign of education as to the neces-
sity and desirability of good roads. 1t
would seem that this campaign might
now be closed and preparations made for
commencement day, as the people are
ready to graduate. They are crying clam
orine, bowling for good roads. and the
problem before the educators now is how
to crafty the appetite that they have
created. The problem is a serious one
and must not be disposed of airly or too
confidently. 1t presents two branches
construction and maintenance-and the
latter, it seems to u.s. has not been suffi-
GENTLY considered.
The voters of this county will next fall
have an opportunity to pass on a PROPOSE
uon to borrow one and a-half million dol
lars with which to construct in each of the
hiteen districts Of the county twenty miles
oil permanent improved roads. The
county has no bonded debt at present,
and there is no doubt that the bonds and
the interest on them can be paid with but
slight addition to the regular tax rate,
so the bonding plan might have been
good thing had proper and permanent
commission been provided for. But the
hrst cost of these roads is not ALL neither
is it the larger part
Baltimore county has been for but a few
years in the business Of building the So
called improved macadam roads, but those
few years have been long enough to witness
the almost total ruin of some of the most
expensive highways so constructed. Just
as the engineers found how to make a
nice, smooth surface that would stand
wagon traffic pretty well, along came the
automobile and showed that it could de-
stroy their work almost in the twinkling of
an eye. Park Heights avenue is an ex
ample. Within the last three years Chesa-
peake avenue, Towson and part of Charles
Street avenue have been improved at heavy
expense, yet portions of the continuous
highway so formed are now worn through
to the quick and extensive repairs are
urgently demanded. The same is true of |
many other roads in this and other coun- |
ties. In Montgomery county the people
have demanded to be allowed to build their
own roads and in their own way, and it is
but reasonable to assume they are not do
ing this through pure cussedness;' rather
Is 1t to be presumed that they feel that a
less expensive and more enduring type of
road than the veneered macadam will
answer their purposes nearly as well, and
Will cost less for both construction and
maintenance. They think little less at
tention to top finish and a little more to
foundation will give them roads smooth
enough and much more durable. II might
be as well, just here, to suggest that the
~ WSN Nhouodiiu uOndIb 10 dc appOr-
toned to each district under the bond
plan will not build twenty miles at ten
thousand dollars mile, which seems to
be about the average cost of the sand
papered' road.
The proposed road bonds are to run for
nifty years. If we 60 on building roads
IN the present manner and eleefully ruin
ing them as we are doing the whole sys-
TEN will have to be rebuilt five times over
before the bonds become due. This takes
no account of the annual expense of main
tenance nor the oiling. which latter will
be necessary if we expect the roads to
last more than two years with automobiles
scorching over them
Has our road building sufficiently passed
the experimental stage to warrant the i'm
mediate expenditure of one and one-half
million dollarsH 1t has been said, Let our
children, who will enjoy the roads, help pay
for them. but what will they think of us
II we leave them bonds to pay but no
roads to show for them?"
Montgomery has graduated and hopes
"a - Il.