The record. (Greenville, Ky.) 1899-1???, 1913-07-10
HIGHWAY
IMPROVEMENT
COUNTRY ROADS OF CONCRETE
LASTING Materials for Construction
Available In Many Places in Form
of Sand and Gravel.

No single factor plays such an i'm
portant part in the social and bust
ness life of a community as the quail
lily OF its roads. Aside from the pleas
ure and convenience of travel, pos
sible at all times over permanent
roads. there Is the financial phase
which directly concerns the cost not
only of farm produce. but of city
products as well. Consequently ev-
erybody wants good roads, writes z.
II. Wilson in the Iowa Homestead. In
the matter of paying for permanent
highways, generally satisfactory
agreement seems to have been reach
ed in the proposed distribution of the
cost between the nation. the state. the
county and the users of the read in
question As a result. within a few
years this country will take its right
full leading position among the ma
tons of the world in the number OF
miles of permanent roads.
In way il is fortunate that the
| United States has been rather SLOW
in the matter of road making. The
/
terials, such as will withstand the
wear of motor traffic which is fast
running Europe's century-old road
ways. Lasting road materials are
everywhere present in the form of
sand and gravel from pits and stream
beds and crushed rock from stone
quarFiss. Combined with Portland ce-
ment into concrete, they form an in
expensive and permanent road sur
face which successfully resists the
usual. destructive action OF automo-
bilee.
The first consideration in the buiia-
ing of concrete roads Is q careful
study of local deposits of sand. gravel
and rock (called the aggregated TO see
whether they are suitable for con-
crete. Sand must be clean and hard
and must grade uniformly in size OF
grain from one-fourth inch down. The
s-~ac applies to gravel and crushed
rock eAespt that the largest particles
commonly asieG 2 BILE are one and one
fourth inches in ai6Qeter. IL local
materials are disable, a considerable
s4ging win be effected. as only So
meM viii need to be freighted.
II is mech faster and cheaper 10
mix the concrete with a machine than
by hand. Deepening on the grading
of the aggregate, the concrete is
usually proportfoned one bag of Port
land cement to two cubic feet OF sand
and four cubic of screened gravel oil
crushed rock, or one of cement to two
of sand and three of gravel or rock
During the grading and draining o
,;,e road. the aggregate is hauled ant
piled ~ convenient points. The con
crete is mae, musay wet. is deposit
! ed to the thickness VI six inches upor
the firm old road bed ana ~ brought
to grade and shape by means Of /
Setl-S,et. In order to shed the watel
on the siss drains the surface of tn,
concrete is given 2 rise or crown IL
: che center of one one-hundredth 4
one seseatylifth the Wistl !ef tn,
roadway. The surface is iinistee wit
a wooden float and wire broom, b!
, which means there is afforded per
r feet footing for horses. At interval
8 of rs feet the road is divided into sec
. tons by narrow contraction joints eS
. leading crosswise the road and en-
o ,sara,y through the concrete. Thes
+ joints su;p formed by means of thil
d metal OF ssooaee cross form or divid
;. ed to which Is tied = ax.sla or doubl
@ thickness of tar paper witt. fns sape
q face against the last laid section O
v roadway. After the surface of thl
O s.sction is finished and while the cor
, crete der the adjoining section is b.
d ing placed. ule cord holding the pa
per to the cross fosG, is cut and tn
4 Cross form is removed. t.o tar pi
o p-s adheres to the concrete and stay
n. In the joiEt, which is reduced to til
v. thickness OF ths paper by forcin
r. against 1t the freshly piased coneret
g. of tine section under construction.
r When the surface of the concret
N has hardened enough to prevent pi
% ting 1t is sprinkled with clean waite
"a aI,s 10 kept moist for several day
likewise. as soon as possible. til
pavement Is eGsa..at temporarily wit
two inches u SIND " plt!f from tn
, side road to siye further ar vi 81
ing the concrete. rraffie Is eoafiBo
9. to the earthen side roads until Ii
concrete e about two weeks old ]
sas meantime f:f"ulders of broke
f-ope =. gravel are built along bet
is edges Of the agreement. These Z.
a made three teet wiee st,3 sufficient
le thick to be firm and 10 make !. ?
a, easy matter at all times for WACO
II wheels to pass from the side roa
ip onto the pavement.