The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1913-01-08
Traffic Census-Rural Roads

An estimate of GO per day for a
Churchill county road would probab-
| " be high for anything but the st.
Clair road. Based on an Ohio re-
suit II would be wagons of which 5
might carry one ton each and IL car
~ one-half ton each so giving II
tons per day or a total of say 1000
| tons per year. The method of esti-
mate may not apply we'll here with
our larger loads yet the results will
probably check out fairly well as
shown later. Saving on improved
over unimproved roads was shown
in Illinois in a concrete case to be
3.Se per ton mile dropping from 1913
to 1859 per ton mile, but we might
take sc per ton mile here or $500
per mile per year here on 1000
ton traffic. Eastern authorities have
ngured the savings occurring in wet
weather and during 6 months to 3
months only per year in which our
savings would come out S100 and
$50 respectively. However arid con-
ditions and the character OF our road
would reverse many conditions and
warrant an assumption of saving the
year round. Engineering-Contract-
ing, a very practical paper, has given
the average cost of macadam roads
in Is eastern states as s52s9 and the
average maintenance cost as shown
by average on local roads in France,
Indiana and New York as $40 per
mile, and of course the cheap wages
Of France must have dragged the ay-
eraee somewhat lower than the ay-
erage In this country. However, the
editor of the Engineering News the
foremost engineering paper in the
United States commenting thereon
and the letter of a Tennessee en-
gineer says: In round numbers at
least $4,000 per annum for main
tenance must be assumed to build a
bituminous macadam road and main
tain at the present day in view of
the rapid increase in heavy automo-
bile trucks At percent interest
this means an annual charge to traf-
fic passing over the road of $500 in
terest plus $1,000 maintenance or
81, 400 per annum.
As all eastern figures must be in
creased by so to 10 per cent to COM
pare with our general costs it will
be seen that the following is our
comparison figuring only so per cent
increase:
Eastern costs Water bound maca-
dam, $5289; maintenance $40; Bit.
macadam, $4,000; Maintenance,
81, 900.
Churchill county costs: Water
bound macadam $7933; Mainte-
nance $105; Bit. macadam $4,000
maintenance $500
1t is worth noting that the esti-
mated cost of macadam heretofore
figured by me before seeing the
above was $1,000 for water bound
maeadam. Maintenance here sufii-
cient to maintain the road would
probably be more than the approxi-
mate S100 if the final rebuilding of
the road was not contemplated
For a Churchill county road we
have now for the yearly cost the
following:
per cent on $4,000 gives ...s4S0
Maintenance at S100 ........ 100
Total annual charge .....S5S0
Net saving of freighting $50, 200
Net deficit per year ........ $3.50
which does not tend to start much
enthusiasm And the enthusiasts OF
course will try to puncture the fig
ures. The cost of the road checks
up well with experience elsewhere;
the maintenance cost is quite prob
lematical out here with the chance
for its being much higher. The road
commissioner of New Jersey is now
calling for several million for main-
tenance to save the macadam roads
there from threatened destruction