Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1913-02-07
New Plan for Maintaining
Public Roads

emphasize the fact that we are talk
Ing about continuous road mainten
ance and not about building or re
pairing roads otherwise.
The proposed plan contemplate
Isuch a change in methods as will
virtually introduce the patrol syS
TEN or continuous maintenance il
vogue in France and other foreign
countries, though at far less cost
1t is a principle we'll recognized
by all road experts that the best
results cannot be secured except by
constant oversight and the applica'
ton of the "stitch in time"
1t is apparent, even to the most
casual observer, that far better
roads would be had if the holes and
ruts could be kept filled, ridges
scraped off and the tight rock and
loose stone removed from the road
bed whenever and just at the time
it is needed to be done. What is
required is a little work done often,
at just the right time.
This could be done, of course, by
the constant employment of men
on the roads, but this would neces-
state heavy increase of expense
and a consequent increase of tax
rate, besides being open to the
| further serious objection that these
men would he employed much of
the time when the roads were not
in the best condition for treatment,
and consequently they would be
working at a disadvantage, besides
losing much time in going from
place to place on extensive sections.
This is one of the serious faults of
our present method. One man is
allowed too much road. He con-
tracts to keep up five or ten miles
or more of road, he manages to get
over his road twice a year, Gas he
draws his pay twice a year, just
before the meeting of our supervi-
sors, to receive reports from our
road commissioner, he dumps a
lot of material on the road, usually
in patches, either to cover mp some
large tight rock to keep from re-
moving it or fills up mud hole,
but often this new material is
dumped in a narrow high ridge
in the centre of the road and
no further attention ever given
it. In fact this is no system of
maintenance. The new material
for months is an obstruction rather
than an improvement. The mar
row roadway forces the travel all
into one track and ruts and holes
are formed which retain the water
of every rainfall. This water grad
ually pcnetrates the road bed and
tie freezing and tbawing of these
water soaked subgrades in winter
disintegrates and destroys the load
surface in many places making
bad roads and frequent repairs
necessary.
So destructive and unsatisfactory
are these prevailing condition un-
der our present system that notwlth-
st ;nding the annual expend ture OF
more that S2,S0O.00 annually our
roads are becoming worse rather
than better.
1t is certainly time that we
should awake to the fact that no
road, no matter of what constitute
ton, can be a permanently good
road unless it is continuously main
tanned, kept in repair and free from
water continuous maintenance is
the one thing that should interest
US if we would enjoy good roads,
Road building does not concern
US; we have our roads already, bit
how to maintain good roads at a
minimum cost.
The proposed plan does not dis
turb our present arrangement but
it does, however, call for live in
terest in the roads, for some broad
and intelligent thinking on the
problem they present, for an arous,
al of civic pride and patriotism and
fer q hearty cooperation on the
part of the citizens of the commu-
nifty. -
But is this too much to expect?
Cooperation is an absolute essen
tial to the accomplishment OF any
large work. .
The proposed plan provides that
each contractor shall by mutual
arrangement lay off his road into
sections of not over half mile each
and assign to the farmer or persons
living on his section that portion
nearest and most convenient to
him, who would assume the respon-
sibility of keeping the same in good
condition, not however as now, by
working twice a year and then DO
ing as little as possible, but at in
tervals as needed, thus introducing
the valuable essential features of
the patrol system; and the only
needful and essential implement Is
the King Road Drag which can be
made in an hour or so at tnfilng
cost by following direction given in