The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-06-10
KAY SUGGESTS
CHEAP ROADS
ENGINEER POINTS OUT ECONOMY
Recommendations Based on Local 0bSer
vatiOnS Valley Gravel Roads in EN-
celleHt Condition

( Motorists of the valley, who have
/ travelled the county highways eXten-
sively this spring, declare that the
roads have never been in better condi-
. tion. The main trunk lines have been
/ put in the best of shape, and the lat.
/ erals in many cases are bettersstill. Ii
goes without saying that if the Colum-
/ bia highway were open now the Hood
River valley would be the goal of many
| tourists.
And the roads that seem toIbe in the
! best condition are those that have cost
least to construct. The gravel, or
sand-clay road will be chosen today by
the automobilist who is off for pleas
ure spin.
Basng his judgment on general OBJ
servations and especially thehroad
work of the county, County Engineer
Kay is an exponent of inexpensive
road construction in rural districts,
where suitable materials may betfound.
Mr.. Kay, who until he came to Hood
River in 1904 to take charge of an ap.
pie ranch, had spent his life in railroad
work. He was first a member of the
civil engineering staff of the New York
Central lines. Later he was with the
New York, Ontario a Western r. X.
Co., following which be served as civil
engineer for the West Shore line. Mr..
Kay left the engineering staff of the
Chicago 4 Northwestern to come to
Hood River. Since he has been in
Hood River he has devoted large por.
tion of his time to the construction of
highways.
Mr.. Kay has been elected an associ
ate member of the American Society
of Civil Engineers. He recently passed
an examination which makes him elig
ible to appointment as highway engin-
eer in the United States Office. of Pub
lie Roads.
Mr.. Kay does not agree with the pol
icy of road builders who propose the
construction of high priced. so called,
permanent roads. Referring to the
state of New York. where much has
been done recently in highway prog
ress, he says: That New York in at
temptingito correct her first mistake in
road policy is making a second mis-
take, should be apparent not only to all
engineers specializing in road work,
but as we'll to the layman who has
made but a superficial study of the
subject.
because $500 per mile per year was
found to be an extravaganza that no
state could survive for any length Of
time, Governor Glen has been reported
to have stated:
Even If New York were compelled
to pay $25, 900 mile for brick roads,
it would be economy to build such
roads.
New York state road work is now
going forward on this plan, the main
factor in its adoption being that the
vitrifed brick road on concrete base
is the most nearly permanent type of
road yet devised and with a low annual
maintenance cost per mile of $50. The
purpose is to build the most nearly per-
manent road obtanable at no matter
what cost. provided maintenance may
be reduced to minimum.
Evidently it is overlooked that even
if no repairs whatever were needed on
the $25, 900 per mile road, the mainte-
nance cost is 81 500 per year for inter-
est with a rate of six per cent.
Another mistake in this kind of
plan is that the investment of a $780,
600, 600 bond issue in these high cost
roads improves but five per cent of the
roads of the state, while no provision
is made for the other 80 per cent.
"ln order to see into such situation
clearly, it might be well to simplify it
by considering a smaller community.
! Take, therefore. the county of Hood
River, where the annual appropriation
for roads is approximately $50, 900, and
where there are, say, 100 miles of main
roads.
Applying the New York state plan,
progress would go forward at the rate
of two miles of roads a year. At the
end of 20 years we would have 40 miles
of good roads, the cost of which would
have been million dollars. Yet we
would have 60 miles of bad roads, just
as bad as when we began. The last
mile of these bad roads would not be
improved until 30 more years would
have elapsed. In other words. we
would have 100 miles of roads for the
expenditure of So, 500, 900, taking sc
years to build them. The fact that the
county.has bonding right under exist
ing laws up to $3.50, 600 has little bear.
ing on the matter.
Assuming that no repairs whatever
be required the cost per mile per year
after completion would be 81, 800, or
$3.50, 900 for the 100 mile system, at a
six per cent interest rate.
/ Governor Glen again says: The
total expenditure for 20 years on q
macadam road will amount to S36, 000
including $4,000 for building, $l8, 00C
for maintenance and Sc, 900 for rebuild.
| ing at the end of 10 years. The totaI
| expenditure for vitrfed brick after 2C
| years, if we allow maximum of S25,.
| 600 for building and $50 year fol
! maintenance, is SIG, 600.
! "In other words, because the macad
am is too costly. the only remedy is 3
more nearly permanent type of roaC
at almost any price, provided it will
last a long time at small cost fol
maintenance.
:, 1.-THE words of the governor are ne
/ doubt correct and the So. 500 road is The
better ard cheaper of the two. Their,
II is a possibility, however, that either o.
these plans may be as bad as the other
i al would suggest another policy fol
1 comparison with that of the state o.
New York. The proposed policy is tina
/ of low cost, short lived.roads requiring
Il high cost of maintenance, such as tn,
II gravel road, meaning natural gravel o.
crushed stone. which may be cheape
II for any given locality, depending ol
II cost of crushing and relative length o
III haul.
II "The best roadway in Hood Rive
II county today is of gravel construction
II made of natural gravel hauled abou
III two miles. The cost of location, grad
II ing, crowning, draining. ETC., wa
II nominal, about 5000 per mile, this be
ing an old established road on ligh
grades. Gravel was applied at dept
II of 10 inches for width of eight fee
II for cost of $500 per mile. The traffi
II packed and spread this to width {
about 10 feet, taperins it to the cart