The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-07-18
A Is FOOT ROAD COSTS
LITTLE MORE THAN NINE
Estimates Compiled by Pasquotank Highway Eng-
neer May Have Effect of 7SSilencing Advocates of
Narrow Roads For This County

EVerybody interested in good
roads and almost everybody
everywhere is interested in good
roads these days will find much
Of interest in a bunch of esti-
mates that will he submitted to
the Pasquotank Highway Com
mission today by County Road
Engineer Thos. L. Higgh. Engi-
Engineer Thos. L. Higgs. Engi-
quotank county can build her
own roads at $4,000 mile less
than the same roads would cost
if built by contractors.
The Pasquotank Highway Commis
sion recently rejected bids on nine
miles of road to be built between Eliz
abeth City and Weeksville, a distance
of nine miles. The lowest bid for con-
crete was $3.13 a square yard. The
lowest bid for vitrified brick on a con-
/ crete base was $4.27 a square yard.
Engineer Higgs sumbits estimates to-
! day to show that Pasquotank can build
the same roads at $2.S5 a square yard
for concrete and $3.10 square yard
for vitrif1ed brick.
But the biggest surprise in Engineer
Higgs' figures is the difference in the
cost of foot road and Is foot road.
A Is foot concrete road. according to
, his estimate, will cost $225,883.22 for
the Is miles, or $25,092.65 per mile.
IA nine foot concrete road will cost
l nr
91055 per mile. There isn't a very
considerable difference between the
cost of the two roads.
The type Of concrete road upon
which the estimate is based is a mon
olithic construction seven inches thick
in the center, tapering to five and
, half inches on each side.
The type of brick construction esti-
; mated calls for a three inch vitrif1ed
brick on three inch concrete base
I and grouted with cement. 15 foot
road of this construction, nine miles
:. long, will cost $245,516.05, or $27,279.56
+ a mile nine foot road of the same
= construction would cost $224,599, 3r
: $22,723 per mile. The total difference
in the cost of a Is foot road of this.
Type over At nine foot road SvotIid be
only $20,929.OO or not enough to build
an additional mile of road.
q If Engineer Higgs' estimates are
, found to be correct, (and there is no
occasion to question them), then the
q advocates of nine foot roads in this
, county may find themselves silenced
o Lots of folk would rather have Is miles
O of nine foot road than 10 miles of 15
p foot road. But hardly one will be
found who will prefer 10 miles OF nine
9 foot road to nine miles Of road fifteen
: feet wide.
4 In his estimates today Mr.. Higgs ad-
o vises the Highway Commission not to
II seriously consider nine foot roads of
e concrete construction. He says he
would not recommend anything but
brick for such a road and he unhes1-
tatingly recommends brick for abrasive
strength, beam strength, all round du-
Y rability and low cost of upkeep. But
when he recommends brick he speaks
of brick laid on a concrete base ana
- filed with a cement binder.
The money from the sale OF the
S5OO,OOO bond issue is expected to oe
available at an early date and no time
= will be lost in getting construction un-
= der way. The Highway CofnulssIoA
l. does not expect to get more than ter
S. or twelve miles of road built this year
l. 1t will undertake the construction OF
a more mileage next year and If they
le make good there is a possibility thai
the county will take advantage OF the
al special session of the General Assem-
le bly, next summer to secure an addl-
t. tional bond issue to enable the com
IS mission to build more miles OF per-
er manent roads. At the present prices
n of material and labor the commission
IN will not get very far with its presen
j. fund of $500,O00.
enI