Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-08-10
PATENTED PAVING.
EDITOR EVENING NEWS

EDITOR EVENING NEWS
Sir: Ny attention has been called
to an editorial IN your issue OF the
9Th instant commenting on the pres
ent bad condition of the road lead
ing from this city to Woodbridge,
and which bad condition the writer
of that article attributes to the use
of patented material in its construc-
ton.
While not approving bituminous
or other patented material for gen.
eral use in road building, l think
your general condemnation Of those
materials as important and very use
full factors in the development of
our highway system is unfair to
their proprietors and gives a bad
impression to the general public of
an otherwise very useful CONNER
cial article. Where conditions are
favorable those materials give good
results and where they are not ia
vorable no material whatever will
prove satisfactory.
The first and most important feat
ure in road construction is under-
drainage, and where this is over
looked no material, however good,
will give the desired result. 1t is
simply a waste of time. labor and
money to place a good pavement on
a foundation which is not first
thoroughly drained and otherwise
properly prepared. This condition
is peculiarly applicable to the par
ticular stretch of road referred to
as l have good reason to know. The
sub-foundation consists principally
of clay or a species of kaolin and
quicksand always saturated with
water because of the neglect of the
above named precautions.
The writer. presumably from in
experience and want of practical
knowledge in such matters, lectures
Gov. Edwards. the state highway
commission and others for their
road policy, when in reality the
blame for such conditions can be
placed carer home.
He evidently forgets that the
road referred to is a county road,
built and supposed to be maintained
by the county and that therefore the
county is responsible for its condi-
ton. He also forgets that there is 4
thoroughly organized and very eff
cient maintenance department in
charge of an experienced engineer
with regularly appointed foremen
responsible to him. and holding civil
service diplomas, in charge of the
various SttllOIlS VI Tile SLdIC 6lW ds
routes and who are responsible for
their maintenance. All these are
appointed for their efficiency. Not
80 the employees of counties or mu-
inequalities. In very rare instances
you will find any of the latter having
even rudimentary knowledge or ex-
perience of how to perform the du-
ties for which he is appointed. This
is plainly exemplifled in our W
city and county in similar depart
ments. They spend our money with
out giving us any results. No Won
der the people want a change.
County and city engineers know all
this and sometimes because of pro-
fessional ethics, they become I'M
bearable and intolerable. but their
hands are tied. and they are COM
PEELED to give and bear it for politi-
cal expediency. No wonder the peo-
pie would desire a change. 1t was
only a question of who amongst
our responsible citizens would take
the initiative in bringing about that
change. 1t is here and everything
considered, it should win.
Again reverting to the Importance
of under-drainage in road construc-
ton, 1 will illustrate by describing
briefly the plan adopted by h
state highway engineers in con-
structing that section of route 4,
at South Amboy. known as the pri-
vate right of way.
1t is well known that this stretch
of road except for a few hundred
yards runs through a swamp. The
facilities Tor drainage was very lin
tied as its general elevation above
tide water was very little. There
fore an unusual system had to be
conceived and built for drainage
purposes which would answer thu
unusual conditions.
First, there were cross drains laid
at certain distances apart. and COM
posed of reinforced concrete pipes
fifteen inches in diameter; a longi:u-
dinal ten inch French drain laid the
whole length of the road on n side
and discharging its contents into the
cross drains. On the other side also
was constructed a longitudinal
twelve inch French drain. 200 feet
long. From these longitudinal
drains radiated a system of six inch
French drains. twenty-sIx feet
apart, laid herring bone fashion.
There is in addition . system Of re-
ceiving basins TO catch the water
from these various drains. From
these basins the water is diverted
into dItcheS u Tor the purpose n
which eventually finds their way to
the Earitan river.
The I pes constituting these
drains were laid on planks and COW
cred with three feet of Two and one
half inch stone which in turn were
covered with salt hay TO keep
the sand from working into
the "oids. The concrete iaio eve
thcs1 drains was in every instance
re-enfOrced. All OF this drainage
system had to be laid with perfect
accuracy as TO grade as the disar-
rangement of any one part meant
the disarrangement of the whole sys-
tenn, thus entailing a lot of unnec-
essary labor and expense in future.
I have thus described a small but
extremely important part of this
construction to show what import
ance highway engineers regard
drainage. They are gentlemen OF
technical knowledge trained In