The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1912-05-18
WHY EXptND $780,
10000 ON ROADS?

/ With true Nmtllcan SpHf, y has
i been answered Wtih generosity.
4 Ilayc Illp results, hnNeNe,, ot the
vast sums sprnt III Improving thu
conditions of on roads he' u EailS
factory and have they justified
L he vast OUTLAY? Ihc answer must
| 10 uutlualitiedly, No, we as a
proplc p,idr ourselves on oul
prudence, on our foresight. on oui
IlielcocY, on ON capacity Tor ac
cuinpli4hlug iesults We eap>ld
~ that We belong in III" ilonl
tank as engineers aud rs con
stluctots. hut nave We, as road
! builders, hyed ~ u "uF own
standards? Why Al" Tho many
roads leading to and iToM out
great cities ia such drpIoiable
condition most OF the tlrnc2 i it'll
/ because We do not know how loI
| bliId or because We do no, know
! how 10 conserve?
We apparently do not apply to-
our road prnhlcm the same ccono
me laws that we believe 10 be Is
, sentlal to success IN our great III
dustta works oi IN oul great On
g,neerlng problems, like the Fana
ma or Eric canals. We would
consider him a madmau who, hay
ing built magnificent building,
would rest IL complacency after
it's completion aud say, 'lI Is
well dunr,' and then allow he
roof tn fall 10 pieces. AS Tar as
our road construction Is concern
ed. this IL the method that we
seem to follow. Oar motto ls,
"Nlltuns for ronsli uctlon, but
not cent for repair How long
are we going To follow snch Il
course oi fo.iS? What alc The ,ra
sons for ~ How may these cond'
tions he avoided, and Why should
on ciiizruS 20 to put = stop 10
snch ,rtor-9 We hay" oar annual
conventions on TOAD construction,
aud hese meetings ate ot iInmense
value, but until 3he people he
come aroused TO the real evils oi
our system we shall 80 on Whis'-
ing millions upon roads ~ oui
easy going, happy ." lucky way
but We cannot long go on our way
rejoicing.
We may c,te few examples u
The hb,rhood Of New York as
showing how utterly our present
system has failed In Central
Park the roads were in such Il
condition year ago that drive
through .he park was q doubtful
Measure. The authorities were
sharply a,raigned, with the result
that many OF the Park roads were
entirely remade. The same course
was followed upon the beautiful
Riverside Drive The road or
Long Island which carries the
greatest amount Of traffic is the
Hoffman Boulevard, connecting
New York with Jamaica Tins
road was entirely reballt in 1910
with one of the new road compost
mons whrch have recently proved
SO popular. For short time II
was as smooth and even as biili
ard table. The inevitable wear o'
:, a great amount of traffic, bOtl
o from automobiles and the heav!
, trucks bringing vegetables ant
!. produce to market from the k'tch
9 en- gardens Of Long Island, s0oI
a began to make its impression
O upon this splendid road. The ut
$ tie depressions and spots OF warn
Q ing began to appear, and VIVA
9 measures were taken to arrest TN
II natural decay Of this road! None
k The little depression was ai'0we'
to depneu into a Iut and then mt
hollow and then into a ohas'iI
!, perhaps; but there were no repal
gangs at work, and within shor
: time the work of dlslnlegratlol
! had act in, and within twelv
:, months the boulevard was in III
!; tie better condition than before
had been relaid.
/, I'm New Jersey the great arter.
!, of travel is the turnpike conmc
- ing New York via Jersey ~,
~ with Newark. This history ,
- this road is very similar to that o
:" the Hoffman Boulevard it wa
!, entirely rebuilt III 1910, and dnl
:, ing 1911 it wac a magnlilceII
:, roadway. To- day it is a wrec'
=, and ore is fortunate it he e..
drive over it slowly without bro1
. EN- springs. A milar case ma
:" ne cited IN he roadway copnec
u ing Springfield with Plalnfielt
- New Jersey. This road is muc
-, less used than the other roat
VI mentioned above, but I'D the a
10 tumn Of 1910 II was entirely I
built, and for few months j. WI
on as magnificent bit Of road
as aDy motoist could desire. 1t w
left to It's fate, like most OF o
OF to,ds, however, with the resu
o. bat by the summer OF 1911 1t "
hl m sad condition and in sof
'eh places hopelesrly full of rnts al
Ith holes.