The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1917-03-30
INJURY TO ROADS BY HEAVY
TRUCKS.
Suggestions For Correction OF This
Abuse OF State Highways.
Article by Chairman Frank H.
Zouck, of State Roads
Commission.

Maryland has expended $751;
OOO,OOO.00 in the construction OF
State roads, and $6,000,000.00 in
the construction of State Aid roads,
making a total of $24,000,000.0O,
this being a larger amount in pro-
portion to wealth and population
than has been expended by any
other State in the Union.
The first question which naturally
arises in ones mind is, can these
roads be maintained? The answer
is that they have been maintained
under the present traffic.
At a road convention held in St.
Louis in the early part Of December,
at which nearly all the States in the
Union we're represented, Highways
Commissioner made the remark that
he had travelled over many stretches
of modern roads in number OF
States from California east, and that
he had found the roads in Maryland
better maintained than in any other
State in the Union.
In building modern road, there
are two primary factors that must be
considered-the character of the soil
upon which the road is to be built,
and the traffic that will pass over the
road after it is completed. The first
is known and fixed; the second is I'M
known, because Immediately upon
the completion of. a road, traffic
greatly increases, both in volume
and weight. The constant increase
in heavy motor trucks Is what is
going to work harm, and this will
continue to increase, unless laws are
passed, giving this Commission the
power to regulate traffic as to tie
weight of truck and load that will be
permitted to go upon certain roads,
in accordance with the character OF
their construction. For instance,
concrete road would carry, without
any damage to the road, a much
heavier load than a water-bound
macadam road, and a waterbound
macadam road would carry, without
injuring the road, a much heavier
load than a clay-gravel road. 1t is
just as harmful to overload road
as it is to overload wagon or a
bridge. If the regulation as out
lined above is not put in force soon
er or later, experience has shown
that certain of our roads will have to
be rebuilt, or else an enormous
amount of money will have to be ex-
pended on maintaining them, which
expenditure will amount to practi-
cally the cost of reconstruction every
few years.
AS an example: Carroll County.
under State Aid law, built water
bound macadam road from Elders
burg to North Branch. This road
prior to it's being built of water
bound macadam, carried the usual
country traffic, but Immediately
upon it's completion lumber firm,
having considerable lumber to haul,
bought a large truck carrying five,
of the weight being on the back
wheels, and during the spring the
road was practically ruined and Car
roll County was compelled to expend
something over 100000 to put it
in repair. A smaller truck would
have done the work with very slight
wear.
The most of our roads are built of
water-bound macadam, which is
broken stone rolled into place by a
ten or twelve ton roller, having
about 400 pounds weight on every
inch of bearing surface on the road.
It is easily understood that it is i'm
possible to hold such a road in place
with trucks running over it having
500 or 900 pounds weight to every
inch width of tire or bearing surface.
have a law which allows $50
pounds of weight on every inch
width of tire, and a maximum speed
of Is miles an hour, and this is the
law that we are asking the Commits
sioner of Motor Vehicles to enforce.
The above weight was compromise
with the truck owners before the
last Legislature, as our Commission
asked for weight of 500 pounds TO
the inch width of tire. Recently
there appeared in the State new
truck with a trailer with two iron
bound wheels, carrying a load of
1 1900 pounds to the inch width OF
ire. II is useless to say that no
ad or city street would long en-
eui1s destructive force, as recent