The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1919-04-10
The Wisconsin Plan For State
Highways.

highways.
Continued from page one.)
tablishine unit. The state shoult
paw for the maintenance, To-
state control without state money
is bound to be difficult, not t.
say impossible, to administer
The same general principles
would absolutely apply to any
Federal system which might bt
| laid out.
| There is much to be said fol
the Wisconsin system, in which
THE state has general supervision
1.-THE county organizations carry
out the details of the maintenance
work in accordance with state re-
ouirements, and the state repays
| the cost to the counties when the
work is properly done A one
years trial of this method has
worked out quite well in Wiscon-
sin.
Wisconsin Patrol System.
We believe in the patrol MAIN
tenance system. Patrol sections
of proper length, whatever the
character of the highway, should
be placed in charge of a. patrol
man who is solely responsible to
those above him for the condition
Of his section. We have estab-
lished about 4S0 patrol sections
in our 5000 miles of highway,
varying in length from as little
as 6 niles on very bad earth road
stretches, to as much as ~ miles
on some Of the macadam truck
patrol sections. We believe that
the average patrol section should
be not more than Z miles ii the
road is an earth road in average
condition.
Gang Maintenance Organized.
In addition to the patrol main
tenance we organized each coun-
ty for a certain amount OF gang
maintenance. This includes heavy
road machine grading; scarifying,
shaping, and placing light resur-
facings on old gravel and maca-
dam roads; also the surface treat
ments. Roughly the expenditures
for maintenance have been divid-
ed. one-half for patrol mainten-
ance and one-half for gang main
tenance. The expenditures IN
1918 were at the rate of about
$3.50 per mile. The cost of patrol
maintenance per mile on earth
and gravel roads averaged 1928.
the remainder being expended
for gang maintenance or main
tenance of the more expensive
surfaces, such as macadam.
Maintenance Experience.
Tt may be interesting to sum-
Marie briefly some of the con-
illusions we have reached as a re-
suit of one years state mainten-
ance. These may not be final
but they seem well founded on
our experience so far
We find that earth roads Of light
clay or loan are easy to main
tain either by dragging and plan
ing or with the road grader,
providing we have a rain about
every ten days. Continued dry
spells are almost as troublesome
as continuous wet spells, espec-
iallv on light soils.
We are going to start an in
tensive campaign for applying
sand or gravel light surfacing on
earth roads which are sticky or
slippery after rains. We have
been astounded at the results
from light e to 4 inches sand and
gravel coatings ON heavy clay
soils if followed by patrol main
fenance. This is probably the
most valuable lesson we have got |
en- from this years maintenance
We have learned that we'll
maintained earth roads need very
title crown. The flatter and wild
IT an earth road the better if it
las good drainage and is kent
smooth. The same is
rue for all other types.
Keeping Up Sand Roads.
On sand roads we find that
marsh hay and straw are effec-
i've if covered with sand at the
ime Of application and that sand
nuch prolongs the life of these
laterials. Cedar bark and cedar
havings are the best temporary
and coverings. Our tar-hay ex-
eriment on sand was quite sue
essful but This method of sand
is entirely too ex- {
ensive. costing at least 800 per
lile per year to maintain a good
6-foot composition surface. Wei
elieve that the economical thing |
} do with sands is to cover them
18th good clay or gravel as rapid '
: as funds permit. Tar-hay, hav
raw. and weeds wear out rapid In
and are far more expensive in d
10 Ion, ~ ,,,,1, f1o,, n o1ar- -. --..1