Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1918-04-05
Maintenance Of The System
sY j. T. Nemacheck County Hiphwa

By j. I. NemacheCk County Highway
Commissioner.
The roads on the State Trunk
Highway System in this county have
already been laid out and they are
familiar to the people through a legal
description of them published in the
county newspapers. The pliminary
official map is ON file with the county
clerk and maps are on file in the office
of the County Highway Commission
er.
The total milage Of the State Trunk
Highway System in the state is 1885, 50
Of this, 6288 miles lie in this county.
The two features that will be most
noticeable to the public when active
work is in progress will be the patrol
maintenance and the standardized
road marking. Firstly as to the main
tenance:
It is admitted by everybody who
has anything to do with road work
that the only system of maintaining
roads, which means keeping the roads
in condition after they are built, is by
patrol maintenance. The tendency
under the old system was to build
road and after two or three years,
when it was badly worn out, to repair
it, which meant in a good measure
reconstruct it. This in turn meant
that before it's reconstruction it w as
very poor road to carry the traffic
and it further meant a big item Of
expense for reconstruction.
The modern theory of maintenance
is that a stitch in time saves nine:
and that to maintain road you must
keep atit constantly, and make re-
pairs as soon as d weakness appears.
This not only gives you a better
road, but it saves money. 1t operates
like the section system on railroads
men in charge of sections deyoting
their whole time TO keeping them in
repair.
Patrol maintenance will be placed
on all the State Trunk Highways and
the task is big one. The law pro.
vides that the entire system after
May 1st, whether previously improved
or not, must be adequately maintened.
The state has been divided into
eight divisions with a Division Engi-
neer in charge of each. having in his
jurisdiction eight to eleven counties.
In each division there will be a Divis-
ion Maintenance Engineer especially
in charge of maintenance in his div
ision. The County State Road and
Bridge committee will have general
charge Of planning the maintenance
in the county. The County Highway
Commissioner will have direct charge
OF the patrolmen in each county.
Each county has been divided into
patrol sections and in many counties
the patrolmen have been selected.
The plan is to get good substantial,
reliable men and they will be paid
from SllC to S135 per month, depend
ing upon the mileage to:be taken care
Of, the condition of the road, the vol
ume of traffic, etc.
Certain sections of road are in such
largely through the lack of
drainage, that they must be graded
bitches opened before patrol mainten-
ance can be placed on them. TO take
care Of these sections, gang mainten-
ance will be put on early in the spring
with the necessary heavy machinery
furnished by the county and the roads
will be graded and put in condition
for the patrolm9n. Certain sections
of road will require resurfacing or re-
pairing by adding new material,
which will also be done by gang main
crew. Many Of the counties
having a large mileage of stone or
gravel roads which require bitumin-
Gus treatment have appropriated adj
diUional funds for this purpose and
the oiling gang will do most of the
work.
Next Article-1'he System of Patrol