Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1911-05-04
LANSING PAVING TALK.
Lansing Officials and Citizens Make
Profitable Junketing Trip
STREETS ARE WELL KEPT
Form Of Concrete Paving is Extremely Durable
and Yet Low In Cost

The Lansing city council have been
investigating the different kinds OF
pavement in use throughout the state.
In speaking OF a recent trip 10 Ann
Arbor the Lansing Journal said:
That the junket made to Ann Ar
Dor Friday by 6l city officials and
citizens for the purpose of inspecting
the pavement in the University city
will prove beneficial one for the city
was the consensus of opinion Of a
large majority Of those who made the
! trip There is little question but that
Lansing will profit by the experience
of Ann Arbor and construct some Of
the contemplated pavement for 1911
OF concrete with tar covering.
AN Arbor, like other cities has
tried several kinds of pavement, which
have proved good, bad and indifferent,
/ but from the talk heard from the city
officials there yesterday nothing but
the concrete pavement will be put
| down in the future.
"The concrete pavement is said to
/ be not only better than any other
/ kind, but its cost OF construction is
only a little more than half that of
the brick pavement, which will make
! it possible to put in nearly twice as
much pavement in a year as could be
done under the old plans
"The Ann Arbor concrete pavement
is composed of six inches Of sand and
cement, over which is spread a thin
coating of coal tar, which acts as a
sort of cushion and a protection to
the cement The lower four inches is
composed of sand and cement at the
ratio OF eight TO one and the top two
/ inches is at the ratio OF two 20 one.
Some of the pavement constructed as
/ above had been down for a period Of
three years and others one and two
years, and the only repair that had
been needed was a new top dressing
"The cost is the most surprising
feature regarding the pavement Ac-
cording 70 the experience of Ann Ar
/ Dor the highest cost Of the construc-
| tion of the concrete combination was
$1.16 2-3 per square yard, and the
lowest was "a $40 cents. These prices
were for the pavement complete, in
cluding the excavation, catch basins
and curbing. the difference on the
cost being due TO the price OF ma
terial principally, although the expert
ence gained after the first job resulted
in reduction Of the cost TO some ex-
! tent
Lansing has not been able hereto
fore to secure the laying of a brick
pavement for less than S195 a square
yard, and while it was argued Fri
day that the conditions of the soil at
Lansing were different and that the
material would cost more than in Ann
Arbor, City Engineer Sparks of Ian
sing stated emphatically that the pave
ment could be constructed here at a
cost of not more than SIPS per square
yard.
City Engineer E w Graves of Ann
| Arbor got in a hot shot when he
declared that the only opposition to
the construction of the concrete pave
ment had come from contractors and
he rather considered this as a boost
for the pavement.
"'Of course. here in Ann Arbor, y
he stated. the city is doing its own
work We asked for bids but they
were so high the mayor vetoed them
and the city did the work at great
saving. / believe that a city should
not conduct its business for the bene-
it of any set of men and should al
ways be in position to perform all
kinds OF work
"When asked if certain man had
not applied for a patent on the con-
crete and tar mixture, the engineer
admitted that he had done so. 1t then
developed that if the patent is grant
ed, royalty OF 10 per cent will be
collected upon every square yard of
pavement constructed, but even then
it will prove much the cheapest pave
ment in the end.
Another thing which impressed the
visitors to Ann Arbor Friday was the
innovation of covering the old brick
pavements with tar similar to that
n a.