Milford chronicle., 1915-07-23
.MARYLAND'S GOOD
ROADS ARE A MARVEL
Result of Practical Consideration of the
Project Followed by Practical Work.
COST MILLIONS, BUT WORTH IT ALL
Review of Their Construction and Present
Condition by a Competent Critic.

TThe following letter was written to
/ the Every Evening of Wilmington, and
printed in its issue of July 18th. 1t is
/ of so much interest to Delaware, that
we reproduce it in the Chronicle. Ed ]
You asked me, when passing through
! Wilmington, recently, on my way TO
/ MARYLAND for a tour of the system of
| improved roads of that State, that l
give you my impressions of the trip.
| Compliance is made the easier because
there is so little to critizise, so much to
commend.
You are aware that Maryland was
among the later States to undertake
/ road improvement on a State wide basis.
] The initial effort was made in 1908. Be-
| fore anv work of construction was be-
gun a comprehensive plan was provided
| bv a commission headed by the COVER
nor. This plan included the connection
of the county seats in each of the twenty
two counties in the State with Baltimore
City by means of permanent roads, and
the whole system has now been com
pleted, so that the tourist. starting from
| the metropolis of the State, may journey
over the best of roads to its remotest
sections. Twelve hundred miles Of these
roads have been built. at cost OF Sl5.-
900, ,00O 1t was my privilege, last fall
to cover in an automobile some OF these
good roads in many of the counties, both
on the Eastern and Western Shores.
NV trip Just finished, and much more
extended than the first, discloses the
fact that the State roads suffered moth
ing from the upheavals of the winter
freezings and spring thaws, notwlth-
standing the frequent opportunities Tor
injury from this source in that climate.
Not only were the surfaces unbroken
but, so far as / could see, the solldlty
of the roadbeds was wholly undlsturbed.
This seems somewhat remarkable IN view
of the experiences of other States with
water bound macadams-New York,
New Jersey, Connecticut and Massa-
chusetts, for instance, whose similar
roads came through the winter IN very
bad shape. Maryland's experience IS
strong testimonial to her methods OF
the preservation of her macadams.
We must be mindful of the fact that
water-bound macadam is not the only
quality of road found in Maryland. Con
crete has been built with a large mile
age, while amicite, hassamite, gravel
and other constructions are found. Inc
macadams attracted my attention most,
! because they were the earliest forms OF
construction adopted in all the States,
and have now become the most difficult
and expensive of all to maintain. None
of the States that have engaged in road
work are without them. Maryland, as
l see it, has accomplished most of all
the Eastern States, and l have covered
them all, from Virginia to Maine.
Just why Maryland macadam is supe-
rior to others is easy of explanation.
As has already been intimated, the
method of repair is different. | followed
this work very carefully and talked
with the gang bosses wherever l found
them. The work is done after no hap
hazard fashion, but is of uniform char.
acter everywhere, devised and directed
by the State Road Department and car
ried into execution by trustworthy sub
ordinates. New ideas are not rejected
they are tried out and where practical
are incorporated in the system. Politics
does not enter into the management and
this is of great advantage.
The main difference between Mary
land and the other States in road main
tenance is comprised in the permanent
character of the repairs themselves.
That is to say, extraneous material or
material that will not bind into the road
bed is not applied, and everything that
is used soidfies the surface and attaches
it to the roadway in such fashion that it
neither rolls up into small billOws that
heavily Jar the traffic, nor breaks nor
unravels into holes that widen with use
and destroy the whole structure.
The method of repair is very simple.
First, the surface is swept clean by
machinery in the larger operations,
when heavy oil with asphaltic base is
applied by sprinkling machines and
brOOmed into evenness by gangs of men
who follow. This oil is then covered
with stone splinters, carefully screened
to separate the dust and left to be
packed by the traffic. For a few days,
travel is tedious and annoying, but as
the mass hardens soon becomes comfor-
table. Sometimes larger stone is en-
ployed and then the whole application
is rolled. One result of this treatment
is that Maryland macadams are as
comfortable to ride upon as are her
concrete roads, and where the concrete
is covered it is difficult to determine
from the riding over it where the one
construction ends and the other begins.
This statement is a clear and difnite
testimonial to the superior quality found
in the Maryland roads and which have
observed nowhere else. Her concrete
constructions are no better than those
of other States, though the road depart
ment is beginning to treat them differ
emily in maintenance.
Instead of a thin veneer of hot as
phalt, the Maryland Road Department
sprinkles the concrete surfaces with
tarvia, cold, and covers them with stone
chips which tenaciously adhere, and
very few peelings are noticeable. I'm
perfections in all road surfaces are
treated much after the plan of all the
States, but the work is very carefully
done and greater smoothness results.
Road patrols for short sections that
were maintained while the system was
under completion have been superseded
by division supervisors with gangs un-
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