The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-12

4 per cent maximum is adopted. This would make an excellent grade and is in line with the best practice in modern highway engineering. This was the first point that suggested itself to me when talked with Mr. Clark regarding the project MT. Keller, the state highway engineer, agrees with me in this and, may add, so does the United States office of public roads and rural engineering. In letter from the chief of construction, re- ferring to this particular project, l am advised that maximum grade of per cent provides a satisfactory highway for trucking purposes. change from z per cent to a 4 per cent maximum will enable the engineer to improve his align
 ment and shorten his line.
 The surfaced portion of the road, 5f miles in length, has grade of per cent now This section is In fair condition, and with some minor repairs can be used as it is for the present. The estimates
 mentioned above refer only to the un- surfaced section, or that between Mulsa and the river.
 MUST BE SURFACED
 The newly graded road cannot be used for heavy trucking, especially durlns rainy weather unless it is surfaced. Many of the entertainments will be high and will settle considerably, especially II the traffic is heavy It would, therefore, be impra cticable to place permanent high grade surface, such as concrete or brick on it until it had settled for at least 12 months Chert seems to be the only available surfacing material Owing to the long distance from the road to the chert deposits, this material will cost from s6oOO to $700O per mile distributed on the road. Therefore, the plan adopted must be one that will utilize ghis at the l end of the year when a permanent sur l face is placed.
 Brick can be laid on this old chert as | & base, and no concrete foundation be used This is being done with satisfac- | tory results. However, 1t might be well i to defer the selection of the pavement surfacing material until it is needed and l the road is in condition to receive it. DELIVERING OF FREIGHT l I believe it is probable that there will not be trucks available to remove all | freight from the river bank the same day l that it is discharged by the steamers, and that warehouses and storerooms will be provided for storing it there. large proportion of it may be destined for re- l tail stores in the mining towns and camps ! in that section. Jobbers may find 1t ad- vantageous to deliver it directly to those retailers rather than truck it to Birming- ham and then back to those places That would necessitate the construction or other roads in that section, and 1t would \ be well to have some investigations reia- tive to them made in advance. It would 1 also be worth while to investigate the l probability of locating deposits of chert or other surfacing material at points on tho river from which it might be lightered | to the river terminus of the road at a much lower cost than that mentioned above Gravel or crushed stone would
 be suitable for this purpose.
 xxx;k fbn fao q trucking freight from the river, would | remind you that freighting, no matter | how it is done. will not pay generally | where cars must go loaded in one direc- | ton and empty in the other. The job
 bers with whom have talked have as- sured me that there will be a good vol ume of freight coming from the river to Birmingham, but none of them have
 | been able to suggest anything that will | go from Birmingham to the river. If Bir-
 mingham could produce or manufacture
 something to ship out these cars would
 l go loaded both ways. Cities in some~sec-
 l tions of the country meet this problem
 with the output of small factories. Un-
 Fortunately, for this purpose Birmingham
 with big industries whose products can
 l not be trucked to the river, has no small
 I factories of the kind referred to. Ii
 would probably not be a very difficult matter for the Chamber of Commerce te
 encourage the establishment here of such
 enterprises
 I have checked estimates and examined
 profles prepared by MT. Clark. which
 consider well and accurately done. and
 lhave based my estimates on them. MT
 Clark has rendered me every possible as-
 l sistance, which enabled be to complete
 | this assignment in a much shorter time
 l than would otherwise have been required
 Very respectfully.
 w. A. CROSSLAND.
 Limited States Senior Highway Engineer