The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1916-03-23
@ @ @ o @ @ o 9 o o o o O o o
ROAD SYSTEMS.
. By JAY w. BLISS, State Enpr.

tIdVel ana ROAD .Dulldlng Will elChcr
destroy or conceal all traces of sec
ton and quarter corners. Such laws
as there are concerning the preserva-
ton of these corners have been practi-
cally dead letter. AS time goes on
and the property holders build more
permanent fences, the exact location
of these monuments is of great i'm
portance, and once lost or obliterated
they cannot be relocated without con-
siderable expense, while in the first
place they might have been perpetu-
ated with very little trouble. One of
the most valuable things the boards
having authority could do is to
promptly have every section mound
that is at the present time recognize
able as such marked so that there
would be no danger Of it's becoming
lost. Sections 4286 to 1920 inclusive,
Of the Compiled Laws of 1918, refer
to the preservation Of section corners.
In no circumstances permit any cut or
fill work to disturb section corner
until such corner shall have been prop
erly referenced by competent sur
veyOr.
DRAINAGE.
Topographic conditions in North
Dakota make the question Of road
drainage of greater Importance in the
eastern portion Of the state than it is
in the rolling lands of the western
part of the state. Road bitches, in all
instances where it is feasible, should
be so constructed as to carry water
along to some place where it can be d.
verified from the roadway into natu-
raj outlet. Frequently, particularly
in the eastern part of the state, road
bitches may not only serve to keep
the road dry but may serve to some
extent in draining adjacent farm
lands. bitches constructed for this
purpose should be laid out by some
competent surveyor. The chief point
is that the road must be built so that
water may be drained off from the sur
face of the road and out Of the side
bitches before the subgrade has an OPP
portunity to soften. A little care Civ
en- to this particular feature would
many times eliminate bad places in
the road with very little if any addi-
tional expense. Wherever a road fol-
lows along a side hill so that the
drainage above will run down onto the
road, a furrow or two plowed along
the upside few feet from the edge
of the ditch may be frequently made
to lead the water to a culvert, and may
save the washing out Of the road
bitches.
Road Construction.
Roadway. By the width of roadway
is meant the width of that portion of
the road intended for traffic. (See at
tached blue print). The width of a
road necessarily depends upon the am
cunt of travel that it is likely to be
subjected to. Generally speaking, a
roadway should not be less than 18
feet in width, and with the exception
Of fills, need not be more than 20 feet
in width. Wider roads may be some
what more expensive to maintain than
are the narrower widths, but the con-
venience of those using the roads re-
quires that there shall be ample room
for traffic bound in opposite directions
to conveniently and safely pass. The
roadway must be given a crown suffic-
iently high to insure good drainage.
At the same time, it must not be so
steep as to cause vehicles to slue in
wet weather. In no case should the
crown of the road be greater than
one inch to one foot, and in many in
stances flatter crown is better. Ex-
perience will indicate the amount Of
crown necessary to secure the best
roadway. Build the road remember
ing that too flat a road is less objec-
tionable than one having too great a
crown.
Cuts. In building roads where cut
ting is necessary, especial care should
be taken to secure a good road. The
side slopes of the cut should be steep
er than l 1-2 horizontal to one foot of
vertical height. The bitches must be
ample to carry the drainage, and
should in no case be less than three
feet from the bottom of the ditch to
the edge Of the roadway, and should
not be more than one foot in depth.
The roadway should be Of the same
width as the rest Of the road, and CIV
en- the necessary amount of crown.
Frequently cutting necessitates the
use of a different character of mater
ial for the roadway than occurs at
other places along the road, and it
should be kept in mind that this may
require a f1atter crown in order that
there may be no danger Of slueing. In
long cuts particularly, there is danger
that water will wash large holes along
the side bitches, which it is expen-
sive to refill and which are source
of danger if left. In such instances
it is generally possible to pave the
side bitches with field stone in such a
manner as to prevent washing. The
ease with which such stone may be
secured is the determining factor as
to whether or not this may be done.
Material removed from cuts gener-
ally is needed for making adjacent
fills. It should be used to bring such
fills up to required grade, and any
excess of material can be used for
making such fills of greater width.
Fills. The roadway over fills need
not be more than 20 feet in width, ex-
cept when the fill may be two feet or
more in height, in which case the road
way should be at least "a feet wide.
Fills made across sloughs or in places
where water is certain to stand along
the sides of the fill should be made
with 2 to / side slope and fills built
whero thew will not ho in wafor NAV