Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1915-08-27
GOOD ROADS EASY To
BUILD; HARD TO KEEP
IN SHAPE SAYS RYAN
County Engineer Contributes Val
liable Ideas Concerning Main
tenance at Recent Highway
Conference Of Officials at
Flagstaff.

The following interesting paper on
the subject of road maintenance was
prepared by County Engineer J. C.
Ryan OF Cochise county and read at
the recent conference Of highway en-
.gineers at Flagstaff
Maintenance-5y J.. c. Ryan.
Maintenance is the most important
and preplexing problem in modern road
building From the preliminary loca-
ton on through the construction peri
cd until the road is opened to traffic
every step is with view to economi-
cal maintenance
There are three important factors
that should be given great considera-
ton in constructing a road, namely:
Location, drainage and selection Of
materials. A good location is an as
set, a poor one a liability.
Proper location takes advantage Of
every natural water course and the
natural contour of the country, it is
the exception in place of the rule
that a proper location with a well
defined system Of drainage, such as
.culverts and bridges of sufficient size
and number, storm bitches where
needed will decrease the cost of main
.tenance and reconstruction which is
very aften charged to maintenance. It
is far more economical to make the
original location through natural ma
terials when possible than TO take
the shortest route, using the material
las encountered and then, after the
road is constructed and opened to traf-
hc, haul in suitable surfacing material,
and charge it no to maintenance.
1t is often a greater problem to
maintain "a road than to construct it,
Construction work is generally carri-
ed on large scale. with a large force
.of men, and considerable sum of mon
icy. The work is interesting to all
concerned from the beginning until
the work is completed It is a CON
centrated effort for a short period
while maintenance is the very oppo-
site. Generally speaking, mainten-
ance is carried on by a small force
Of men, with limited funds or in
many cases funds spread over the
year, Competent construction men
are comparatively easy 10 secure
where good maintenance men are few
and hard 70 find 1t seems to be the
prevailing idea that anybody capable
of doing a days work can maintain
piece of road This is grave mis-
take. Maintenance men are born. not
made They must be painstaking,
patient and cranks on detail Ii is
the little things done at the proper
time that count. How often do you
find well constructed piece of road
that is properly maintained? Very
seldom While on the other hand,
many a mile of properly constructed
road is left without any maintenance
and then when it goes to pieces. which
IL invariably will. the man who con-
structed it is discredited, when he is
not at fault We hear a great deal
during this period of good road agita-
tion about building permanent roads
am like the farmer when he first
saw an elephant "they hain't no sech
thing" Roads Of the different types
from the dirt road up to the different
kinds of pavement have to be main.
tanned, the cost Of which varies ac.
cording TO the types of road construct
ed and the traffic thereupon.
Too often you see roads that have
been constructed at a cost of from
5000 to $1,000 a mile that have de
Perforated and in some cases become
impossible from lack of maintenance
| Following is a concrete example OF
the economy Of proper maintenance
A piece of road is constructed and
will cost 500 per year per mile to
maintain. Il is left to a period OF
Eve years without maintenance the
cost TO reconstruct at the end OF five
years viii not be $500 what il would
have cost if properly taken care Of
but more nearly $500 The first way
means an expenditure of $500 over 8
period of i've years on a good road
and the latter an expenditure Of five
I
the end of 1--WE years on a very poo
and sometimes impossible road. We
can make no mistake in patterninl
after the railroads of today. They Sc
aside adequate funds for maintenance
every year and It must be a payinl
investment or they would not do so
Maintenance is the old adage owe
again "A dollar spent in time save
. nine"
So much for why we should PROF
erly maintain our roads. The mex
question Is, how? AS ! have had yer.
little experience In maintaining tn
higher types of roads such as pave
ment, ] will conhne my suggestion
to ordinary roads built Of natural ma
terials such as comprise the most O
our roads i'm Arizona.
Dirt gravel clay and sand ella
p roads can be maintained in most part
r of the state bp using a road dra
, after every rain, Very often thi
work can be done by farmers and ica
be paid for by the day. In most pl'
ces the farmer is unable to work hi
crOpg al the time the road should b