Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-01-17
COUNTY ENGINEER
REPORTS ON ROADS
interesting Report on Progress OF
Road improvements Since 1908
Made by Retiring Engineer

In his final report to the county
commissioners, John W. McCaw, re-
tlrlng county engineer, outlined the
road Improvement work done by the
county since 1908. Mr.. McCaw dur
ing that time served four terms as
county engineer, from 1909 to 1913
ana from 1915 to 1919. His report
insofar as it concerns surfaced road
construction, is as follows:
The first contract for grading
and surtacing road in Whitman
county was let by the state in 1908,
making use of the provisions of the
old state aid law. Up to that time
there had been but little demand for
surfaced roads and but little interest
taken in that sort of improvements.
That year the state constructed lip
miles of waterbound macadam west
Of Pullman and e-fourths of a
mile of the same type, southwest of
Oakesdale. The following year,
1909, a contract was let for l . miles
of oil bound macadam beginning
three-fourths of a mile south of Ro-
salia and running south to the forks
of the state road, thence east to
Donahue siding.
In 1911 the state aid law was
superseded by the present permanent
highway law, under which most OF
the improved roads of this county
have been constructed. Whitman
county was the first county in the
state to construct a road under this
law whereby the abutting property
owners petitioned to pay Is per cent
OF the cost of the improvement. In
the fall of 1911, the county let con-
tracts for the grading and surfacing
with oil bound macadam. 5.S1 miles
of road, known as Permanent High
way No. |, running $40 miles east
from Garfield; Permanent Highway
No, 2, running l.23 miles east from
COlfaX; and Permanent Highway No
3, 149 miles in length, running
southwesterly from Palouse. On ac-
count of the contractors being poor
ly equipped and inexperienced The
work on Nos and was not COM
pleted until 1913
'DN ing 1912 more petitions for
road improvements came in and this
office surveyed and prepared plans
and specifications for Permanent
Highways Nos. 4, and 6. Up to
this time the specifications used
were the standard specifications of
the state highway department. For
Nos. d, 5 and every effort was
made to specify the latest up-to-date
methods of construction. Nos. and
were to be waterbound macadam
and No. 5 was to be an improved type
of oil bound macadam. This latter
road runs $50 miles south from the
forks of the state road at Rosalia and
has stood up under very heavy traf-
fic ever since completion and is
known as one of the best roads of
its type in this country.
During 1913 and 1914, my sue
cessor in office tried out a new type
of road known as bituminous ma
cadam, which is similar to oil bound
macadam, grade d asphalt being
used for binder instead of so per
cent road oil. The roads thus sur
faced are Permanent Highway No. g.,
running 2.35 miles up Spring flat
from Colfax; No. 8, running south
$50 miles from Pullman; and No
Z, running between Cotton and
Uniontown. These have all required
more or less attention and with the
exception of No. 8 will have to be
resurfaced during the next two years
or become practically impossible.
Very little success has been had with
macadam surfacings in this or ad
joining states, although in some of
the eastern states these types of road
arc used extensively.
AT the beginning of 1915 gravel
and crushed rock were adopted and
have been used exclusively ever
since. These types of surfacing are
being used on account of their rela-
tive cheapness and easness of repair.
Also, because the materials can be
obtained locally, requiring no dis
tant rail transportation. Although
a good gravel, such as the county
owns in abundance at Winona, is
preferable to crushed rock, the
shortage of cars brought about
by war conditions has made it i'm
possible to ship gravel. This has ne
cessitated the using of crushed rock
exclusively excepting on roads with
in truck haul of the gravel pits.