Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-01-31
PLANK ROAD WAS
DIFFICULT TO LAY
Joshua Doughty, Jr., Elected
President of County En-
gineers' Association.
TFrom a stan Correspondent

TRENTON, n. J.. Jan. I.-The
New Jersey Association of County
Engineers met today in the State
House for their sannual conference.
Representatives from every county in
the state are here.
M. e. King, of Morris county, presi-
dent of the association. opened the
meeting. The morning session was
given over to the discussion of tech
meal subjects pertaining to road con-
struction and work
The legislative committee of the
association, of which J. J. Albertson,
Of Camden. is chairman. may make
some important recommendations to
the Legislature when the committee
reports this afternoon.
James Owens, Essex county engi-
neer, addressed the conf erence on the
construction of important roads
across the meadows. He said:
I'm the construction or the Plank
road from Newark to Jersey City
some interesting problems were en-
countered, as the road was con-
structed partly on an old oauseway
that was started IN colonial times
and partly on new fill in the terri
tory known as the Newark meadows.
ITO appreciate properly the con-
ditions it must be remembered that
what is known as the Jersey
meadows was originally an open
estuary, with the tide ebbing to and
fro. BY gradual deposition and with
waste from the highlands this
estuary was gradually filled up with
material more or less solid in con-
sistency to a height of about one foot
above low tide. When vegetation
started in the shape of coarse grass
or reeds this growth accelerated the
deposition until high-water level was
reached, when, of course, earth ac-
oumulation ceased; but then came
the perennial growth of reeds The
foundation under the Plank road was.
consequently, soft silt, with occa-
sional pockets of clay. Nearer the
highlands beds of coarse sand of
small thickness are encountered. The
depth of the silt was never ascer-
tained Eighty foot piles were driven
with no bottom resistance. On top
of this silt is about one foot of de-
cayed vegetation and from two to
four feet of matted roots forming the
upper surface. The original founda-
ton may, therefore, be considered as
unstable and be liable to movement
under pressure.
THE two salient points of construc-
ton in the writer's mind were to put
In enough material to prevent percep-
tible vibration, and in putting this
material in care to be used not to
break through the surface. On the
vibration question the problem was
TO find the economical limits of fill for
the character of travel; of course, it
being understood that there should
be sufficient mass of fill to take up
the momentum of a moving vehicle.
For roadway with an 1S-ton motor
truck or a 35-ton trolley car, the mass
required would be less than for TOO
ton locomotive.
1.-THE next problem was to make a
MI that would not break the surface
mat. In the writer's experience of
such work In earlier years the fill
was dumped on the meadows in a
ruthless manner and sufficient earth
was finally brought in to reach the
desired grade. The mat was broken
through and in many cases swelled
up on the side of the fill itself. To
obviate this trouble the specifications
were carefully drawn. No other than
good material was allowed, no large
stone was used and whatever stone
was applied was scattered.
1.-THE precautions taken for this con-
struction have so far proved efflca-
cious. In only one case was the sur
face crust broken through, and that
for about $50 feet, causing a crack in
the fill. This appeared in the early
part of the work and was soon rem
edied. In another case, where the fill
was outside the old causeway, a set
Element appeared for about 100 feet
after the curb and concrete founda-
ton was laid. The curb was reset to
true line and supplementary sur
face put on the concrete.
ION the whole length of the finished
roadway the perceptible vibration has
been entirely eliminated
Before entering upon the regular
program, the association elected Off