Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-10-25
ROAD BUILDING IN VERMONT.
Federal Official Makes Report on High
way lmprovements-state Rich in Sup
ply Of Gravel for surfaclna Roads.

Paul ID. Sargent, assistant director of
the Office of public roads in Washington,
ID. c., Travelled over 600 miles of high
way i'm 20 townships in Vermont during
last August. He has recently made an
official report from his observations. He
finds evidences of improvement going on
in many places, such as widening of
roadbeds, reducing grades and surfac cling
with gravel. He finds that some of the
improved roads are built with too sharp
crown, which tends to confine the
travel to the centre of the road
latter crown would distribute the travel
over a wider surface, and cause the
roads to have a wider appearance and
to wear down more uniformly. He found
an abundance of first class gravel for
road building in every county of the
state except Addison. Better material
more generally distributed Mr.. Sargent
has never seen anywhere and he believes
the practice of using this material for
surfacing improved roads is correct from
every point of view and should be con-
tinued. Gravel makes the most agree
able surface for general traffic rs well
as for automobile traffic, and being so
generally distributed it is the most
economical surfacing material that can
be used in Vermont. 4 gravel surface
can he renewed and maintained al less
expense and with less apparatus and
less skill than any other kind of a sur
face which will he equally satisfactory.
Mr.. Sargent believes that the law and
the method of administering it are well
suited to Vermont conditions. In con-
Guiding his report Mr.. Sargent says:
PERSONALLY | believe the tourist bust
ness of the state could be increased
many fold if the appropra for high
way Improvement Were undertaken at
once. In travelling over the eastern half
of the United States | have seen no
more beautiful scenery than can be
found in practically every section of Yer
mont.
The thing that impressed me most
on this tour was the smoothness of the
road surfaces in practically every sec
ton of the state. The road might be
narrow or run over steep grades but
nearly always the surface was remark
ably smooth and free from ruts and
loose rocks. This / consider remarkable.
| believe ii results from the system of
regular maintenance of selected high
ways, which l understand has been in
operation about three years. While
good results have been obtained in most
instances, occasionally a stretch of road
was passed over which showed lack of
attention by the local commissioner.
believe 100 per cent better results would
be obtained If some system could be de-
vised whereby the state commissioner
could have entire jurisdiction over the
care of all selected highways. This
might be accomplished by requiring all
towns to raise and turn over to the
state for maintenance purposes a certain
amount per mile for selected highway
and the state commissioner held respon-
sble for the condition of these high
ways with authority which now vests in
him to use as much of the automobile
registratio funds as necessary to sup
plement funds furnished by the towns.
This would, within reasonable limits,
bring all selected highways to a uniform
state of maintenance, at a uniform cost
per mile to the towns.
The two points in connection with
improved road work needing attention
are whether the state shall increase the
amount of work done each year by max
ing larger state appropriation: and
whether the state will provide a stronger
system of maintenance for selected high
ways by giving the state highway COM
missioner more jurisdiction over this
work. believe the state can well afford
to take affirmative action on both of
these points"