Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1914-04-17

State. In addition to the funds thus
appropriated, the law provides that
each Justice of the Peace Precinct in
which State road work is to be done
during any year must pay five-mill
tax on the taxable property of such
precinct, and provides that at least
the sum raised by tax in a precinct
must be expended in that precinct.
Funds obtained from the issuance of
State and County Bonds, by special
county appropriations and by dona.
tons have also been placed at the
command of the Commission.
Since the organization of the State
Road Commission in 1909, 2,240 miles
of State road have been designated
and about 1000 miles constructed at
cost of about 100000. Of the roads
constructed about 800 miles are class
flied as graded roads," i. e., one
shaped into road having the desired
crown and cross section from the ma
terial in place on the right-of-way;
and 200 miles of surfaced roads"
which, in addition to having been
graded, is surfaced for a portion of
its width with gravel, shale, limestone,
etc. There has also been constructed
about one and one-half miles of con-
crete road.
In the designation of system of
State roads, the Commission has been
governed by the law, which provides
that not more than one road running
in the same general direction in any
County shall be made part of the sys-
TEN Of State roads This restriction
has not operated except in compare
lively few instances to prevent the
designation of roads such as would
meet the town and community de-
mands, join like roads in the adjacent
counties, and be easily accessible from
the adjacent county roads. The OBJ
ject universally sought has been to
provide for the town and inter-com-
munity traffic as we'll as to furnish di-
rect routes from county to county
and thence into the adjoining states.
For instance, the road in Beaver
County receiving. the most expendi-
ture has been that between Beaver
and it's nearest railroad point, Milford,
this being the one most needed by
inhabitants of that county, and in
Morgan County the State road could
houa haan ch AL
more accessible had the road been
located on the north and east side of
the valley rather than on the south
and west side, where most of the in
habitants live, and consequently where
it is most needed. In Rich County the
State road extends from the Idaho
line through the principal towns and
into Wyoming.
The construction of an earth road,
whether it is surfaced or not, is COM
paratively simple and inexpensive, al
though the question of proper cross
section is one on which opinions differ
to some extent. The proper upkeep
of an earth road possibly presents
more difficulty than it's original con-
struction. This is probably due to a
lack of conviction that eternal vigil
lance in maintaining an earth road
is necessary to obtain success. A good
earth road should be hard and smooth.
In order that these qualities may be
obtained, there must be good surface
and sub-surface drainage, although
some moisture is necessary in order to
insure hardness and smoothness. Some
of our earthroads are better during
the winter months than they are dur
ing the extreme dry months for the
reason that when all of the moisture
leaves the soil, the road crumbles and
ruts under the traffic, and where no
precipitation occurs for months at a
time, dragging is ineffective In other
localities of the State where the pre-
cipitation is greater and the drainage
poor, the moisture accommodating on
the crown Of the road induces rutting,
with the result that the road becomes
bad. During the time an earth road
is in this condition, repairs on it are
as Ineffective as during the dry months
where the precipitation is INSULT
cient to aid In it's repair.
The earth road constructed with
proper cross section provided with
sufficient drainage, dragged at the
proper time when the tendency to rut
is observed, it's form restored by
means of grader whenever it be-
comes deformed, is in most places in
the State as good as the traffic re-
quires, or at least as expensive as the
funds available would justify. The
cross section most frequently speci-
fed by the Commission is one where
the distance between cutters is 80
feet and the slope from the center
line towards the cutters being one
inch to the foot for a distance of IL
feet out and from that line to the gut
ter the fall is one in four.
In narto of tho rrincinal co,,nt;as 80