The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1920-12-17
Motor Cars Demand Ex-
pensive Roads
THR WArERBouNp MAcApAM


Twenty years ago the waterbounI
macadam road would satisfy the needl
OF the traffic. Then the vehicles wer,
drawn by horses whose hoofs and tn,
tread Of the tires would wear enough
dust from the stone of the road to fur
nish a binder for the remained stone
The rain and wind would wash and blow
the dust away but new dust would b.
worn of to take its place. The road
when properly constructed and care
fully maintained. could be made to lasl
for years under the traffic. Then the
prices Of construction were low, allow.
ing the building Of macsdam road al
a low cost per mile, five to ten thou.
sand dollars per mile was considered
expensive for road building. Indeed,
these low costs were still at hand wher
the grea' era Of road improvement be.
gan. Five years ago a waterbounc
macadam could be built at q cost OF
seven TO ten thousand dollars per mile.
The DEMAND OF THE Moron CAR
The advent of the motor vehicle b. I
changed the conditions. No longer
will the traffic wear off enough dust tc
act as binder for the surface. The
rear wheel of the automobile picks ut
the dust. grinds it from it's place and
throws 1t into the air. II Is common
knowledge that the old macudam road
will not stand up under any consider.
able amount of auto traffic.
JSorne new binder must be added.
The binder must be such that the pneu.
matte tire vii. not pick 1t up and cast
It to the winds. Such binder II
offered when an asphalt cement or q
tar product is used. The conta-t be.
tween the surface stones and the sticky
substance Is much more intimate, thus
allowing the stones to be firmly bound
together The pneumatic tire will no,
catch up the dust and destroy the bond.
NEED OF TRAINED MEN
In passing from the old macadarn 70
the new suracss larger road proyelop.
ed. Prices have advanced expert train
ing for supervision has become impera.
tive. No community should be willing
to spend thousands of dollars without
reasonable assurance that the money
will be expended to the best advan taQs.
With the bitutninous surface road cost.
ing from twenty to fifty thousand dol.
lars per mile, it 10 necessary that the
men in charge Of the work know ex.
aetly what should BIZ done. Municipal
tiles, counties and states cannot 90 on
indefinitely issuing bonds for future
generations to pay, They must issue
these bonds and then make The road
last for the life Of the bond. This can
only be done when the road l. properly
constructed.
TRAINING For COUNTY. OFFICIALS
Someone in each county should be SO
well informed on highway maintainence
that his county cannot. in spending its
money. 60 worng. Many of the coun-
ties already have such men in their
employ; others have men that would
make excellent road builders and
supervisors il they had a small amount
of additional training. Such training
may be had during the dull season for
const uction. The Tennessee Depart.
ment of Highways. in cooperation
with the University of Tennessee is
trying to help with such instruction.
The short course in Highway Engineer.
ing gwen at the University from Jan
uary 1e to February Is is particularly
designed to suit the needs of men. who
have had some engineering training
and WHO need more teachnical know
ledge of highways. Any county would
find il good investment II IL shsuld|
pick out No empsoyee md send him to
this coarse. The cost wouls be small
uhile the possibility Of sewing b. prop-
er building would be worth many times
the cost.-U. OF T.