Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-05-21
CONCRETE ROADS WINNING FAVOR


zens of Honolulu who are actively interested IN
street and roadluilding problems, for their
pockets have been hit early and often TO pay ior
highways hardly worth the name
Not long ago there was a good deal of agita-
ton for road-laboratory, to be established un-
der the department of public works. That Ho-
nolulu could benefit by some expert advice in
roadbuilding is evident from even a casual in
spection of one piece Of highway in the new belt
road system, the IIeea section. Complaints of
gross incompetence in the building of this road
are coming faster every day. If half of the re-
ports are true, Honolulu has tossed off a good
many thousand dollars that might have been
saved.
The state of Oregon, after long and costly ex
perience with incompetent road-builders, has
worked out system of expert advisory assist
ahce that has revolutionized the construction of
highways in the state. The dean of the state uni
versity school of engineering is an official adj
wiser for the state and his school conducts Sc
ries of practical tests, both, of paving mixtures
suited to various types of road, and of the roads
themselves after construction. 1t is now of very
great local interest to know that Oregon is,
abandoning macadam road construction and
volcanic soil element which has been called
"puzzolan". According to the Concrete Era,
which indorses the use of the new mixture as far
superior to macadam, the cost of barrel of the
blended cement is $1.44 in Portland. The same
journal declares that macadam pavement is rap
idly falling in disfavor all over the country. The
state of New York has spent $65,00O0O0 upon
macadam roads; but few months ago, in popu-
lar election, $50,000,000 was voted which will be
used in tearing up the macadam roads and re-
placing with concrete. A curious fact is that
macadam roads were the factors Which made pos
sible the adoption of power traction including
mechanical trucks and automobiles, to the coufl-
try; and now it is the mechanical transportation
agents which are tearing macadam to pieces; and
Iecessitating heavier type of road construction.
This is eventually to be concrete.
Macadam roads in Oregon, particularly inI
Lane county, cost to lay 81 cents a squared
yard; in Massachusetts,, not including contract
ors profit, estimated at 20 per cent, 6-inch mac
adam cost 81 q cents; and in New York the same
costs 81 cents. But the upkeep is the expensyeI
feature of such roads OF course, this varies UNI
der local conditions. Estimates range from 6.s2l
cents per square yard per annum to 36 cents al
yard.
The annual cost of maintenance of macadanI
in Paris is said to be onethird of the cost each
year. That is to say, a macadam road must bel
rebuilt every three years. The figures, collected
by the United States office of public roads make
the average cost of maintenance in this country
81 cents yard year, and double this for BIZ
luminous macadam.
maintenance figures published only a fewl
years ago now appear ludicrous," declares DIR.
4. H. McAlster the state adviser above REFEREED
to- Massachusetts thought that it would bel
able to maintain its macadam roads Indefinitely
at % cents; in three years the cost has scared
to 81 cents, and now the attempt to maintain
macadam roads has been practically abandoned,
and all sorts of surfaces patented and otherwise,
are being tried out in the hope of saving some of
the many millions of dollars which the state has
put into macadam roads.
S'The mileage of improved roads in Oregon isl
relatively insignificant. Traffic is small because
no large traffic is possible, thus maintenance
here is still low But with the expected develop
ment of the state it is safe to say that within the
next five years the figures here will have passed
the cost reached in so many other places
at is my purpose TO compare the cost of con-
crete with that of macadam. Four inches of con-
crete will Withstand greater strength than six
inches of macadam. On the average, where traf-
fic is not unusually congested four inches of con
crete is sufficient"