Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-08-01
Recommendation for Con-
strUCtiOn Received.
Following Inspection byEngineer
Barbour, Dept. Of agriculture.
Useful information Given Out Re.
garding Cost Of Road Building.

| street Commissioner Trask of tn
| Western district has received from In
| tfiiCe of public roads of the United
| States Department of Agriculture, al
| Washington, p. G., under date of July
Is. the following recommendation, as
| the result of the inspection, a fe~
weeks ago. by |. w. Barbour, senior
| highway engineer in that office and
who was, before going to Washington
associated with the Maine highway de-
rartment as assistant commissioner, OF
some of the Augusta streets. The rec
| concentrations. which will be Of interes
to Augusta people in general, are as
follows:
Dear Sir:
Follow ing the inspection of some of
your streets and the report on same
recently made by Mir. l. W. Barbour.
senior highway engineer in this office.
the following recommendations are
made:
Rines Hill-Granite block paving on
concrete base with sand cushion and
pitch and pebble joints. Concrete base
four inches thick, proportional one part
Portland cement, two parts sand, and
five parts broken stone or gravel, sizes
onc-half inch to two inches. The con-
crete base should be turned up on the
edge, adjoining the railroad. about two
feet from the rail TO the height of the
finished roadway, in order to form a
curb from six to eight inches wide.
sand cushion two inches thick. Granite
blocks, first-elass quality, local granite,
acceptable to the street commissioner.
four and one-half to five inches in
depth three and one-half to four inches
in width, and eight to ten inches in
length. The blocks should be laid as
closely as possible. longitudinal joints
being broken by laps of not less than
two inches, and the blocks should be
dressed so that the joints will not ex-
coed "A Of an inch at the top. The
top. bottom and sides should form right
angles at their intersections; the top
to show not more than three-eighths OF
an inch variation from a true plane
with square corners and sharp edges,
and the sides and ends should nave no
dapressions or projections exceeding
one-half inch The joint should be filed
with pebbles between is and 1-2 inches
in size. the pebbles being heated and
SDItdl over lile piBGhS ftiip SNN pt IL tiiN
ioints The joints shonld then be poured
full with pitch Of the character shown
In the enclosed specifications. 1t is es-
tmated that this kind of pavement will
cost approximately $500 per square
yard.
Inn Square-It is recommended that
the tracks be relaid with girder rails
and a cement concrete pavement laid
covering the whole area, including the
rails concrete pavement composed OF
enc part Portland cement. one and IL
parts sand and three parts broken
stone or gravel should he laid to
depth of six inches, and should receive
n paint coat of some suitable bitumi-
nous material Estimated cost per
square yard approximately $3.50.
Western Avenue through Main Street
to Winthrop-It is recommended that
the run of gravel be taken from the
pit which is about 500 to 1000 feet from
the center of the section of road and
put through the crusher. then screened
and the road built in courses, like ma
eadam. If finished by September |, this
wear. IL is suggested that calcium chlor-
idle Glutrin, or one treatment OF nSht
nDn-aSphaltic or other GuSt-HNlnS OIL
be applied to season the road, but If
not finished by October l. wait until
next spring before treating. Then early.
say April Is, resbape if necessary. roll
ard treat with an oil conforming to
the enclosed specifications. Thorough
rolling in courses should be insisted up
on during construction. oil should be
put on with machine. This road will
probably cost not over 100000 per mile.
The last proposition is an eight per
cent grade on the east side of TIE river
from the end of the bridge, 500 to 800
feet long and &c feet wide tabouD. The
old macadam should be loosened With
the roller spikes. then scarified. shaped
with crown of three-fourths inch to
one foot, four inches of new NO.
stone spread, watered and rolled; then
use dust binder. making a resurfaced
macadam Use light oil to keep down
the dust.
Respectfully,
VERNON \. PIERCE.