The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-06-26
FEDERAL HIGHWAYS POLICY.
State Commission to Obtain Perma-
nent Roadways.

Major R. J. Thomas, of Charleston,
South Carolina, of the State High
way Commission, recently gave a
statement to the press in which he
outlined the policy which the Com
mission has adopted in constructing
sections of the South Carolina high
way system with the financial aid
from the Federal Government.
''The Commission will see,' said
Major Thomas, that the roads in the
State Highway system have the best
possible location with reference to
their terminal points, sufficient
width (not less than 80 feet) to car
ry present and prospective traffic. the
lowest possible grade Gin no case more
than 5 per cent? and that drainage
structures are built for permanence.
After giving it the best location, suf-
icient width, minimum grade and
permanent drainage structures, the
State Highway Commission will not
attempt to decide arbitrarily whether
a road is to be hard surfaced or sur
faced with some local material, as
this is a factor which must be con-
trolled by the amount of money avail
for use on any particular stretch of
road
Major Thomas pointed out the
close analogy between railroad and
a highway. He said that in this State
there are railroads located three
quarters of century ago, the road
beds of which occupied the same To-
cations determined by the first engi-
neers who worked on them. These
engineers made the grades low and
the locations did not provide many
permanent drainage structures.
When the railroads were first laid
flimsy and light weight rails, some
of them of timber fastened together
Wy IIOu StllpS "OlO poe O1 IdO lOoo
beds. With the increase of traffic
and heavier trains the flimsy cross
ties and light weight rails we're re-
placed from time to time until now
on all standard railroads there are
90 lbs. rails and heavy ballasted by
crushed stones. "The surface of a
State highway, built of some local
material can be compared point for
point with the small crossties and
light weight rails laid On railroad
roadbeds three-Quarters of a century
ago." continued Major Thomas. "The
highway surface of local material
can be removed when it wears out,
and if the money is available a hard
surface made of imported material
can be laid which will then bring
the highway up to the best standards.
No group of highway enthusiasts is
more anxious than the State Highway
Commission to see every road in the
State hard surfaced, but such sur
facing is matter of money, while
the States need for roads which will
be dry in wet weather and afford
means for hauling at low cost be-
tween sections of the State now iso-
lated in bad weather is a pressing
and present one which we cannot
relegate to some indefinite date when
this State or it's counties have money
enough to put hard surfaces on all
their roads.
ttThe roads in the State Highway
system being built under the super
vision of the State Highway Commis-
sion with Federal aid will compare
favorably as to permanence Of loca-
ton, width, grade and drainage struc-
lures with standard stretch of rail-
road. The Commission does not con-
slider that money spent on surfaces of
local materials for sections of these
roads is wasted, although it would al
ford great pleasure to the Commis-
sion to have all of these roads hard
surfaced now. On an average the
cost of hauling, spreading and COM
pacting a road surface made of local
material is only 80 per cent of the
total cost, the remaining 20 per cent.
being made up of the cost of reloca-
cation, grading, grubbing and perma-
nent drainage structures before any
sort of surface is put On 1t. The cost
of this work is the primary charge
against any good road. After this
wok is done and this first charge met,
the type of surface can be determin-
ed by amount of money available and
made a second charge against the
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