Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-10-25
State Roads Criticised.

building in Montgomery county, made b!
special committee to the State Road
Commission in session, at Baltimore, OIL
Monday, caused long and animated dis
cussion and brought protest from a com
mittee of citizens of this county, headed
by State Senator Blair Lee.
Building of the State roads in this county
has been under special arrangement ant
local supervision. Part of the work ha:
been done under the supervision of former
Road Commissioner F. C. Hutton and the
remainder under that of the County Com
mssioners. In substance the agreement
was to allow the commissioners to build
the roads at cost, the State supplying the
equipment, local stone to be used and GER
tain notifications of the engineers plan
to be permitted.
The present State Roads Commission re-
Gently appointed committee, consisting
of Commissioner Miller. Chief Engineer
Shirley and F. H. Zouck, assistant to the
chairman, to investigate and report on the
work done in the county. 1t was this re-
port that was considered on Monday.
Much of the stone used, the report stated.
is OF nature that will wear quickly under
traffic Of one road it was said: This
stone does not possess the qualities of
hardness and roughness to make it suit
able" of another, there should have been
a more liberal use of culverts and pipe
drainage" The wearing surface of the
Gaithersburg- Jamestown road lis rapidly
going to pieces. To place this
road in proper condition for acceptance
and to oil it, we estimate would cost from
$1,000 to $500 per mile" The report
criticises to greater or less extent work
on other roads, and continues:
I'VE were struck with the general lack
Of character to these roads. There Is an
absence of the straight lines, easy curves
and graded shoulders which are character
istic of State roads built under the direct
supervision Of the commission. These
roads apparently follow the lines of the
old roads, to the serious inconvenience
and danger of travel. and they will be ex-
pensive to maintain"
The committee compared the cost per
mile-not including overhead CHARGES of
road building in Montgomery with that in
other counties. In Montgomery the cost
ranges from $l0,975.49 per mile to $l2.-
1898. Cost of a road in Dorchester,
built by county and contract, is $8,687.01
per mile and the cost elsewhere ranges
from that figure up to $ll.448.56, in How
ard, on road built by contract. In Wi
cOmico, by county and contract. the cost
was $9,623.2l a road in Carroll, Howard,
Frederick and Montgomery, by contract,
was $S,S44.29, and contract road in
Frederick was $11.043.55.
Although" says the report. 1.-The Mont
gomery roads have no freight charge for
stone and have no contractors profits to
pay, and have used local stone of an in
ferior quality. they have cost more, general
ly, than any of the other roads mentioned"
In conclusion. the special committee rec
commended that the Montgomery County
Commissioners put, Immediately, the State
roads built by them in condition salts
factory to Chief Engineer Shirley, when
they shall be accepted by the commission
that all State road work in the county be
taken over by the commission and future
work done by it, and that new construction
in the county shall be on lines that con-
form to the settled policy of the commits
sion, of building main arterial system Of
State highways and not upon roads that
have but local or county advantage"
A large delegation from Montgomery
county headed by Senator Lee, County
Superintendent of Roads M. d, Knight, B.
II. Warner. Jr.. and +. c. Hutton heard the
report read and most of them entered pro-
test.
Senator Lee said the figures given were
surprise to him and he asked a week in
which to prepare a reply to the report
He challenged the statements made as to
the cost of the roads in his county and
contended that the roads were as good as
other roads and that as all State highways
now must be spread with oil to protect
them from the cutting of automobiles the
roe in Montgomery will stand up as well
as those in other counties.
The discussion was animated for nearly
two hours and in the end the report of the
committee was held over for consideration
at subsequent meeting of the commission.