The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-01


Of the Jaudon Engineering Company
(which firm has the contract for the
engineering connected with the work
on the Polk County roads. Mr.. Jau.
don takes up the question of a guar.
:antee as to the durability of the as
phalt which is proposed to be used in
the construction of the roads. This
question has been asked several times
and his answer is this Surety COM
panies do not guarantee any type of
pavement for longer than FIVE years
and no county would undertake to is
sue bounds for paving which it has
not previously been determined would
last longer than five years, there
fore, why put the county to the
Pexpense of paying for such a bond
because while the contractors are
themselves required to furnish such
a bond, if called for, the cost would
add to the contract price by the bid
ders on the work. Such bond to
cover the work in Polk County would
cost $4,000 and would not be as effec-
1tual as the plan which has been adopt
ped under the specifications whereby
a chemical laboratory is to be estab-
Elished on the ground to make analy-
sis of the mixture every day This,
with the provision for competent and
reputable supervision is the best guar
tantee which can be secured, and in
paying out $4,000 additional for this
apparent protection is an absolute
waste of money.
Another matter referred to its the
actual material which is to be used on
Polk County roads, and which Mr..
Jaudon speaks of as follows: I'VE
think it essential, and the fact ought
to be strongly impressed upon the peo-
pie of Polk County, that the contracts
as let provide that they will get the
highest type of Sheet Asphalt in their
Road Construction Some people are
under the impression that what has
been provided is so Called Sand As
phalt or Modified Asphalt" This is
not the fact as a road Sheet Asphalt
pavement has been specified. 1t is
unfortunate that people generally are
not aware of the fact that there is o
wide difference in value and also in
the durability, or wearing qualities,
of difficult types and classes of as
phalt pavement. There is as wide
difference in the Sheet Asphalt pave.
ment specified for Polk County and
the so Called Sand Asphalt or Mod
flied Asphalt" being laid in other
counties, as there. is between Vitri-
fled Paving Brick, used for street paw
ing, and the common building brick
used for buildings. Some people have
the idea that all that will be done
in the proposed paving will be to
scrape up the sand along the roadside
and mix it with little asphalt and
put it down. This is not a fact. The
specifications provide for standard
Sheet Asphalt Pavement, such as is
laid in New York City Philadelphia,
Washington, Chicago and in fact all
of the largest cities of the country.
Polk County paving specifications call
for the most dense and durable type
of Asphalt pavement known in the in
ldustry. This pavement is now being
used on streets under the heaviest
traffic and the most trying conditions.
SPECIFICATIONS require that the sand
lentering into the paving mixtures shall
be very carefully graded so that the
selected sizes of sand making the
ldensest possible combination will be
employed. Fortunately we have in
the County different classes of sand
that will meet these requirements but
| in order to obtain these results GER
tain quantities of sand will have to be
shipped from different points in the
country to other different points, de-
pending upon the location of these
particular sand pits which have been
found. In addition to the sand a
considerable volume of mineral dust.
such as cement and powdered lime
stone is to be added to the mixture.
This material must be ground so fine
that the greatest percentage must
pass screen with two hundred mesh.
es, or openings. to the inch. In build
ing Asphalt Pavement, among other
apparatus needed for testing will be
a set of screens varying in size from
ten meshes to the inch to two hun.
dred meshes to the inch, and the sand
and mineral dust will be actually test
/ ed so that the smallest particles OF
! sand and the mineral dust and the
best qualities of asphalt will entirely
fill the voids in the coarser sands and
make a dense water proof mixture
with wearing surface exactly sim
liar to the famous pavements on Fifth
Avenue, New York City, which is now
admitted to carry more vehicles in a
single day than amy other single
street in the world, not excepting the
Strand and other famous thorough
fares in London and other European
Capitals. In the $50 Called Sand AS
phalt or Modified Asphalt there is
very little, or in some cases no at
.tpnti0n maid IN sand prada aDd 1yorx,