Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-11-17
Michigan's New Highway Laws

Continued from Last Week.
rapidly in surfaces of this nature and
a few months of neglect may undo
what the work of the builders has ac-
complished.
The state repair fund is inadequate
to cover the cost of maintenance in
almost every instance, but it proves a
big help and in most counties the in
spiration Of this offer by the state
has been sufficient.
Unfortunately, however, there are
some portions of the state where road
improvement has been carried on
even on a large scale, where main
tenance has been woefully neglected
The inspectors of the state highway
department have seen good roads
gradually go to pieces because the
local authorities failed to follow the
simple rules laid down by the depart
ment for the maintenance of the
highways or the board of supervis-
ors had refused or neglected to pro-
vide repair fund sufficient to main
tain the new roads upon which the
state had paid reward.
Under the head of highway main
tenance comes the consideration by
road experts of the question of
weather proof dressing for water
bound macadam roads. AS has been
indicated before the perfection of
bituminous materials and methods of
application alone saved the water
bound macadam type of road. 1t had
already been practically discarded as
impracticable under the peculiar wear
Of automobile traffic.
Where water serves in binding the
structural material of the road sur
face it is plain that anything which
permits the rain to soak down into
the body of the roadbed is going to
cause the disintergration of the
structure. Under the old steel tire
traffic and under the pound of steel
shod hoofs the bound maca-
dam defed the elements very salts
factorily. But when the heavy au-
tomobile moving at high speed came
to be a factor in traffic the little pud-
dies which used to dry up harmless
ly became a menace to the highway.
Each passing wheel churned up the
water, helped soften the road sur
face and splashed the water aside.
With the water went much of the
binding material and deeper and
deeper the water penetrated until the
crushed stone worked to the top un-
der the pounding Of the tires, hole
developed and the hole spread.
The need was for some method of
interpreting and experiments were
conducted along a score of different
lines The state highway department
unhesitatingly indorses properly
constructed water-bound macadam
road with a suitable and properly APP
he
rule as recommended by the state
department is to wait two or three
months after a road is finished and
apply the dressing. 1t is then sand
ed, making an application not more
than half an inch thick and usually
only about a quarter of an inch. This
soon becomes a part of the surface
and effectually keeps out water. If
the water is kept out water-bound
macadam surface will stand a lot of
wear even in the exacting service of
traffic.
The bituminous top dressing also
has been found to work out well on
concrete roads. Here it is put on in
the shape of a coat, hardly thicker |
than an application of paint. 1t SER
yes the harder and more durable con-
crete just as it protects the more por-
Gus macadam, filling all the pores, lit
tie holes and cracks and keeping out
the water.
But it has not been found suitable |
for application to gravel roads, in
the estimation of the best experts the |
state department has consulted. The
gravel road is normally loose sur
face and the bituminous top dressing, ]
which does so well for macadam and !
is of little value on gravel. |
The gravel road must be continually |
dragged or "foated." 1t should be 1,
done after every rain and while the
road surface is saturated. New grav-
ell may be added to fill in the hollows
and the ruts, because the road is loose |
surfaced and if properly done traffic |
soon will make it part of the road |
structure.
Macadam is a different quantity. /