Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-11-06
ROAD CONSTRUCTION
Result of Investigations of Minnesota
Commissioners in Michigan.

Minnesota's highway engineer, his
deputy and some of the commission
ers of Winona county, Minnesota,
recently made an investigation of
the concrete roads in Michigan and
returned home with the settled con-
viction that they furnish the one
solution of the rural road problem
But more than that, they found con-
crete suitable for motor-car traffic,
says the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald
AT Detroit the investigators went
over three concrete roads. The ex-
tension of Woodward avenue, lead
ing north from the city of Detroit,
showed two classes of construction.
The first was a 16-foot roadway, Z
inches thick, composed of / part
cement, 2 part sand and parts Of
gravel from IA inch to IL inches
in size; this work was done by con-
tract. The balance was laid of the
same width and thickness, but in
proportion of III 1923, with coarse
aggregate up to 1-2 inches in size;
all of this work being single coat
work. The latter work has proved
a great deal more satisfactory, partly
due to the fact that a smaller aggre-
gate was used and also to the fact
that it was handled directly by the
IN Th;z
carries very heavy truck farm and
motor traffic and showed practically
no sign of wear excepting in some
places where expansion joints were
not properly fooled.
Roads constructed in this man.
ner," the highway engineer, Mr. Geo.
w. Cooley says, permit of practi-
cally twice the loads being hauled
that could be hauled on earth or
gravel roads. A number of farmers
who were questioned in regard to
the advisability of that style of con-
struction for rural roads agreed that
they are the most satisfactory. There
was but one exception, and his COM
plant was that the concrete surface
was hard on his horses feet. Upon
further questioning he admitted that
one horse could pull the load ON this
kind of a road that formerly re-
quired two horses, and that his land
had increased in value from approx
mately $140 per acre to $3.50 per
acre.
For a test of comfortable riding
on this roadway we drove a machine
at the rate of forty miles an hour
and at that speed there was abso-
lutely no jolting or unevenness."
Mr.. Cooley's conclusions are thus
stated:
Il believe that in most localities
a width of only s feet is necessary
and that it should be inches in
thickness, of a mixture composed of
the very best of Portland cement,
clean coarse sand and hard screened
gravel from 1-4-inch to 1 inch in size
and laid in proportion of one Of
eement, two of sand and four of
gravel. Where good workmanship
is to be had it is not always neces-
sary to place steel protection for ex
pansion joints, and on grades of less
than 5 per cent, would eliminate
the growing, although on sleeper
grades than that believe it is neces-
sary.
Concrete roads are dustless and
capable of transporting at least twice
the loads with same motive power
that could be hauled over gravel or
earth roads, and for pleasure
vehicles cannot be excelled, as they
are absolutely free from jolts and
ruts. There is also the advantage
that they require no maintenance,
and it is we'll known fact that
lack of maintenance is the cause of
failure in nearly all of our improved
roads"