The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1919-02-19


, than doubled, and that labor had
doubled and, in doubling in cost, had
decreased in efficiency.
| With 334 concrete culverts and
bridges in place on the county road
system and 232 on the township road
system, the amount of bridge repairs
is beginning to decrease though, for
reasons before given, the cost remains
about as high as formerly.
| The cost of general maintenance of
the county road system has increased
rapidly during. the last three years.
This is due to the fact that the i'm
provement of main roads has caused
greater concentration Of traffic
than before, and also to the fact that
there has, in the meantime, been q
great Increase In the Fatal volume and
weight OF traffic on the highways. Dur
ing the last summer and fall, every
time the earth road surfaces softened
as the result OF rains, those roads
were literally cut to pieces and prac-
tically destroyed by the great volume
and weight of all sorts of traffic that
passed over them. Ruts were often
worn, all over the travelled roadway,
to depth of s to 10 inches. No single
or double dragging at any time after
such destruction was sufficient to
smooth up and repair in first class
shape a road so abused. Generally the
use of blade grader was necessary
in repairing a dirt road which had
been called upon to attempt to with
stand traffic that would be a severe
test on good, we'll paved road.
The average cost. per mile Of all
maintenance work on the entire 152
miles of county road was $70.0S in
1916, $l1A62 in 1917 and $177.02 in
1918. Quite portion of the damage
done to earth roads is, caused by the
heavy auto truck. Such excessive
loads as are often hauled a tten to fif-
teen miles per hour by large trucks
with rather narrow tires impose
weights upon road surfaces far too
great per square inch for anything but
the very best of hard surfaced roads
to withstand. But the use Of the big
auto trucks is one of the inevitable
consequences of road improvement.
Trucks have come and are still COM
ing in far greater numbers than ever
beforehand all are going to stay. We
should tax them to help pay for the
damage they do to the roads on which
they operate and regulate the width
Of their tires in proportion to their
loads or build road surfaces so rigid
that they won't destroy them-and
that would mean nothing short of the
best. Gravel, ! macadam and other
semi-permanent surfaces are far too
weak for heavy truck traffic, cost too
much to maintain and, in county
like this where the supply of local
material is very limited, are the poor
est kind of an investment. The choice
of surfaces lies between dirt as the
best temporary and either plain con-
crete pavement or brick wearing
surface on good concrete base-and
preferably the latter-as the best per-
manent.
In 1911, when the great road con-
struction work was built by the same
system as has been used since then,
there was heard considerable of criti-
cism as the result Of doing about one
thousand dollars worth of work on a
! half mile of road. But it was we'll
built and proved to be worth the cost.
In the following two or three years a
few more bad mud holes on the Lin
lcoln Highway and other roads were
| improved. They all proved very salts
factory and were instrumental in Gre
ating demand for more of the same
kind Of work At present there are
104 miles of improved earth road
grades built on the 152 mile system.
OF the remaining 4S miles of unim-
proved roads considerable is ridge
road which will cost much less than
| the average per mile to build. The
| 276 miles of Lincoln highway is in
fair shape and 76.4 miles of SINH
lar work is completed ip all other
parts of the county. The work on the
Lincoln highway cost much less per
mile than did the other 76 miles on
account OF the easier grades better
location and lighter work encountered
on it.
The accompanying tabulation shows
"a