South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-10-07
To BUILD ROADS
ECONOMICALLY
Contracting for Longer
Stretches of Highway to
Cut Mile Cost.

Highway commissioners find them
selves in a difficult position. be-
tween a tendency on the part Of
state legislatures. county commits
sioners and township boards TO
economic by cutting down highway
appropriations and the demands Of
commerce and agriculture for better
highway facilities TO move an in
creased volume of production at
time when there is unprecedented
railroad freight congestion.
There are ways in which the sit
uatiOn can be met successfully, &C
cording TO Fl. W. Perry. secretary of
the good roads committee OF the
national automobile chamber of
commerce, who says that labor and
materials constitute the largest
items in road work and therefore
offer the greatest possibilities in
economy.
In deciding upon the kind Of road
TO build. he says that type should be
selected for which the materials
can be bought AT least expense. de
liyered. and which will require the
least labor in producing a finished
road, always provided. however
that the material is suited TO the
kind and amount of traffic the road
will have 10 hear.
SUGGESTS Traffic Census.
a traffic census should first he
taken, the probable increase Of
traffic after reconstruction Of the
road calculated and then an esti-
mate made OF the probable cost Of
maintenance of different types of
road under such traffic for a period
of years-from 10 70 90. This main
tenance cost. plus interest. should
e added TO first cost of construc-
ton. This will determine which OF
several types Will he most ecouomi-
al. II is false economy TO choose n
ind o. road merely because it will
.ost lees TO build than a more dur
q he rood.
ono cr th~ things tN9t makes road
Guiding c~etlv is the q ct that II has
con the rra otice in many states to
ct contracts for many short pieces
IF road, often for sections of less
han a rifle. Such 'ohs are too
mall 20 warrant the ueo Of equip
0ert for doing the work in the
heapest way If bic contractors
Guild hid on sections Of 10 10 50
niles Of continuous road work they
ovid erect rock-crushing or gravel
fting plants, Law light narrow
-aure railways. and temporary wa
ter piDes. set up large mixing and
heating plants, use motor trucks in
urge mum hers. and. where extensive
hitting and filling or grading are
.nouired, could employ excavators
+ other suitable power machinery
n n large scale.
Cost Per Mile Iessened.
BY such methods the cost per mile
of construction will he materially
less than where the same amount of
mileage is divided into many scat
tered small sections. The result will
re more satisfactory to the public
lso. as there will he continuous
rood roads that start somewhere
and 60 somewhere.
Intelligent carrying out Of a po-
Icy of true economy in highway
work under present conditions calls
for the services of thoroughly quail
ed road engineers who understand
the economies of their profession as
we'll as its purely engineering phases
IL is further imperative that the
work OF road building and mainten-
ance be removed from political in
1uences, as such influence is respon-
sible for the unecOnOmical policy of
spotting the road maps with sample
quarter. half and mile bits of i'm
proved road that begin and end in
bottomless mud. deep sand or other
stretches of bad road. A highway.
like a chain. is no better than its
poorest section. as IL is the pieces of
bad road that limit the size of the