The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-12-29
KEEP THE ROAD
UPTOSTANDARD
At TER BUILT
TEXT OF AN ADDRESS DELIVER
ED BY AN EMINENT ENGINEER
AT THE A. q Nj. SHORT COURSE
MEETING.

Saltwater. Okla, Dec 2N Road
maintenance and Improvement,
should be given a mach consider
alton by those engaged IN promoting
the good road cause. as the cost oI
construction. Alfred Boyd dean OF
engineering at the oklahoma A. 4 VI
college. declared in an address be
fore the twelfth annual short course
Injecting for farmers here tonight. lie
urged that after the road i3 built, IT'S
improvements be kept up to the origi
nal standard.
After explaining the different ways
that money is raised in Oklahoma for
road purposes, Mr. Boyd said
There is one phase Of he whole
matter of road Improvement which
we will have to consider in cOnnec.
tion with any expenditure for road
building. and that is road mainten.
ance. That subject is not given the
prominence which is deserves. More
important than road construction is
the care and maintenance of the roads
after they are built.
The maintenance of highways is
not matter of designing and con
structing large and important work,
but consists rather in giving consist
ant attention to-seemingly small and
unimportant details. That is why
maintenance gives more trouble than
construction.
throughout the whole of this
country. there is no influence which
has so affected road maintenance as
that of automobiles. Automobiles
have affected road work in two diff
ferent ways. They have affected it
beneficially by stimulating an inter
est in road construction Every own
er of car becomes an enthusiastic
boosters for good roads.
THE other effect of the automobile
and the one which have in mind in
connection with road maintenance, is
the destruction effect of the automo-
bile upon ordinary earth or water
bound macadam road. The well con
structed macadam road used to be
considered a fairly good road but II
will not Withstand the erosive action
of automobile tires They require
hard surfaced material that will stick
together
Il wish to urge that all of those who
have to do with highway improvement
keep in mind the importance of keep
ing these improvements up to the
original standard | do not know that
we can adopt the method that is used
in France where a patrol is placed in
charge of certain stretch of road and
required to keep working at it con
stantly, taking note of.any small de
feet or the beginning of rut or wash
and making the necessary repairs and
thus keeping the road at all time in
excellent condition. ! say | am not
advocating anything of this kind at
the present time, but | do believe that
we should give more time to these
small items of maintenance and spend
more money on them.
Under the head of the economics
of good roads, ! may take up the sub
ject of the relative importance Of
hard surface roads and ordinary hard
road construction in Oklahoma, but
am not going to enroach upon what
recognize as the province of the
state highway department, and | am
more willing to do this because ! be
lieve they recognize as well as |. and
as everyone has who has given much
though to the situation. that in the
construction of good earth roads over
large area in this state. there will
come a greater benefit than in the
building OF a few miles of hard sur
face roads.
The principal benefits which are
likely TO come from good roads can
be classified under five heads. First.
increased land values; second: saving
in hauling costs; third: growth in
population; fourth. increase in school
attendance; fifth: growth in general
prosperity. Some Of these items can
be determined with considerable ac-
curacy. | mean that after the road
improvement is made and conditions
have become fairly settled, the actual
effect of a certain road improvement
may be determined may be determin-
ed with a fair degree Of accuracy.
And, il good roads do this. they
will have accomplished all that is
necessary to make their cost justi-
fiohie "