The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-06-17
Location With Reference to Ter
minal Points One Great
Consideration.
LOWEST POSSIBLE GRADE
State Highway Commissioner
Will See to These Things
and Also to Building Drain
age Structures.


G. Thomas of Charleston, chairman
of the State Highway commission.
recently gave a statement to the press
in which he outlined the policy which
the commission has adopted in con-
structing sections of the South
Carolina highway system with the
financial aid from the federal gov
ernment.
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 feeD to
carry present and prospective traf-
fic, the lowest possible grade Gn
no case more than per cent? and
that the drainage structures are
built for permanence. After giving
it the best location sufficient width,
n minimum grade and permanent
drainage structures, the state high
way commission will not attempt to
decide arbitrarily whether a road is
to be hard surfaced or surfaced
with some local material. as this is
factor which must be controlled by
the amount Of money available for
use on any particular stretch of
road"
Major Thomas pointed out the
close analogy between railroad
and highway. He said that in this
state there are railroads located
three quarters of a century ago. the
roadbeds of which occupied the same
location determined by the first en-
gineers who worked on them. These
engineers made the grades low and
the locations the best obtainable, al
though they did not provide many
permanent drainage structures.
When the railroads were first laid
iiimsy crossties and lightwe eight rails,
some Of the of timber topped by
iron strips, were put on the road
beds. With the increase of traffic
and heavier trains the fimsy cross
ties and lightweight rails were re-
placed from time to time until now
on all standard railroads there are
80 pound rails and heavy crossties
ballasted by crushed stone. The
surface Of a state highway, built of
some local material, can be COM
pared point for point with the small
crosstes and lightweight rails laid
on railroad roadbeds three-quarters
OF century ago" continued Major
Thomas THE highway surface OF
local material can be removed when
ii wears out and if money is availa-
bic 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 surfacing is matter OF
money. while the states need fori
roads which will be dry in wet
weather and afford means for haul
Ing at low cost between sections of
the state now isolated 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.
THE roads in the state highway
system being built under the super
vision Of the state highway commits
sion with federal aid will compare
favorably as to permanence OF loca- !
ton, width, grade and drainage
structures with standard stretch of
railroad The commission does not
consider that money spent on sur
faces OF local materials for sections
of these roads is wasted, although 1t !
would AFFORD great pleasure to the
commission to have all OF these
roads hard surfaced now. On an
average the cost of hauling, spread
Ing and compacting road surface
made or local materiafis only 30 per
cent of the total cost, the remain
ing 10 per cent being made up OF the
cost Of relocation, grading, grubbing
and permanent drainage structures.
A road should be properly located.
graded. giving sufficient width and
permanent drainage structures be-
fore any sort of surface is put on it. !
The cost OF this work is the primary
charge against any good road. Af-
ter this work Is done and this first