Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-19
MAINTENANCE PROBLEM,
THOUGH OLD, IS UNS0LVED
Criminal Folly to Construct Roads
49, That Will Not Answer Traf-
ffc Requirements.
EASY TO DETERMINE FACTS
Government Expert Explains Proper
Handling Of Drag, So That Best
Results Can Be Obtained-Way to
Get Federal Aid.

Results Can Be Obtained-Way to
Get Federal Aid.
By ]. d. FAUNTLERoY,
Distrfct Engineer. United Stntes once
of Public Roads.
WASHINGTON. August 1s.-Before
building a road we should look ahead
past the construction period to the
3 maintenance. which is to follow after.
and endeavor to get mental vision
of how that road should look two or
three or ten years hence. This is not
s a matter of mere conjecture. but. from
Information in hand. knowing the
traffic that will traverse n road we can
Z determine. within reasonable limits.
Ehat tho life OF any particular class
OF road will be. and can also in like
4 manner determine what the cost of
maintaining that road should be. With
such knowledge available II is criminal
folly to go ahead and construct roads
that will not answer the traffic require
ments and that VIII either fail utterly.
leaving only the debt TO show that they
were once constructed, or else they will
have to be, at future date. recon
structed at a much higher cost than
would be the case had they been
properly constructed OF suitable ma
terials in the first place.
Tho question of maintenance is an
old one. For the past twenty five years
different States have been experiment.
Ing and passing laws in the hope OF
successfully solving this problem. 1t
cannot be said that any State so far
has developed perfect system Of main
tenance. We know that in certain sec
tons OF a State for example, the roads
Will be better maintained than in other
sections. and the only way We can &C
count for II is that in some counties
T.
are more conscientious and develop
more efficient methods than the road
supervisors in other counties.
know county in Texas which.
without the aid of any bond issues.
has succeeded in putting its main roads
In very creditable condition, because it's
road overseers have tried honestly and
faithfully to make every dollar go as
far as possible, and have tried to handle
the road business as though 1t were
their own private enterprise. Very
close to this county is another county,
where all OF the road funds have been
expended and over 100000 Of "antici-
patton warrants" have been issued for
tho purpose Of road Improvement, I'D
the roads are in most wretched
shape. This indicates indifference and
neglect on the part of the official OF
that county.
INTEREST AND INTELLIGENCE
m NEEDED TO GET RESULTS
do not know of any business where
IN personal interest and intelligence
will count for more than in the main
tenance of rural roads. Take, for cx-
ample. the dragging OF roads. Some
men Will take road machine or a light
drag and go out over a road during
rain, or Immediately after It. and in
the course of few hours 1t will look
splendid, with the bitches cleaned out
nnrlNy eh,
the contrary. many men, when employed
to drag road. will defer this very
necessary operation until the road is
y baked hard and dry and ruts are all
over 1t, and as a result dragging is
practically useless. You can nut Il
down as fact that when a man takes
the seat on his wagon and places 1t on
the road drag he is no good as a road
man, and to any one who really wants
TO see road improved IL is exaspcrat-
Ing In the extreme to see such a man
Dragging the road with the horses GO
tng aimlessly ahead. while he dozes con-
tendedly on his seat.
To properly handle drag and get
the best results man must be on the
. alert, stepping from one side of tho
drag to the other and occasionally
getting OF and even lifting ono side
OF the drag in order that he may So
Z cure proper crown to his road
once had a negro road machine man
who could make a road Ink like n pic-
ture. On one occasion instructed him
10 drag A piece A@lf road and then went
away. When..f cicnc back a few min
ntes later he was still! standing where
1 hao LETT him, looking up and down
the road and making no effort to get
started. ] asked him rather sharply
why he did not get busy and his re-
ply was: BOSS. Use ies tryin' to get
IN my mind how dis here road Ewino
look after done got fru wild II. Jes
as soon as ESQ done satisfy myself how
IT gwine look, den Sc Gwine start en-
de res won be no trouble" And he
did make fine job Of that road. Now
II would be splendid idea for NOR,
people to follow the plan OF that ip-
norant negro and try 20 figure out how
the road is going TO look after thew
get through with it.
pNIMPRovID HIGHWAYS
BEING MADE INTO GOOD ROADS
know OF many cases similar to the
one described above where the present
county FUNDS not only suffice to main
tain their roads. but the roads are he
ing gradually improved al tho tim.
Il i know OF an Eastern State wherein
py system Of careful maintenance
the unimproved State highways have
3 peen turned into very crcditaDle roads
y thouGh no actual construction or re-
construction work has been done This
was done by cutting off a bump here
Strengthening out sharp bend there
replacing temporary bridges with nor
nanent drainage structures. and keen
ing me road we'll bedded up and
thoroughly drained.
+ On the contrary. know OF n coun,,
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