Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-09-30
M[TUCHEN ROAD
CONTRACT LET
Work to be Started at Once
on Repairs to Highway to
Highland Park.

~ An|TtNI GOTEEEURuAGlAa
TRENTON. Sept. 30:-For the
Of learning the real quali-
ties OF gravel for road building pur-
noses. the state Highway Commits
sion. IN session here. a Just auth
orlzed Highway Engineer Thomas
!. Wasser to make three expert
fnents in this form of highway con-
struction. The first will be a half
mile strip in the city OF South AM
bow. MIddlesex county. and viii be
a purely gravel road held together
with a two-inch lignin binder.
In addition to the foregoing, the
tuso ofher experiments will be tried
- gouth Jersey. One will consist
~ Al especially prepared gravel
base with a two-inch bituminous or
eephalt top and the other will have
4 Gravel and cement base, with n
bltuminous top.
The gravel surfaced road has been
found to be highly satisfactory IN
certain parts of South Jersey, where
gravel abounds, and the success OF
this type OF highway construction
there has prompted the Highway
Commission TO make the expert
ments for the purpose OF ascertain
ing its worth in h pofuons OF
the state. Road builders VIII watcn
ira outcome of the trials of gravel
as a road material with interest,
e~specially since there has been so
much recent talk respecting the
merits of concrete and Warrenite.
In these experiments the State OF
New Jersey will be the contractor.
Strips a half a mile long will be
uSsd for the work, which will be
done bv the construction force of
the state Highway Department.
The state Highway Commission
has also zone on record to the effect
that Il win hold every contractor TO
his agreement 10 maintain and re-
pair any part of a road which he
mas built which fails at any time
within a year after its construction
was completed. This decision re-
suited from the information that
cracks have developed in the pave
menf on the Da Costa-Hammonton
section Of Route No. 3 of the State
Highway system in Atlantic county
and the question arose whether the
state should pay for the repairs. It
was emphatically declared by the
commission that 1t would hold the
contractor to his contract, as it is
moi a year since this section was
completed.
Representatives Of the New
Brunswick Chamber of Commerce
who appeared before the Highway
Commission with reference 10 n
Improvement of the Highland Park
Metuchen Park road in Middlesex
county were sent away apparently
satis6ed that the commission had
acted the best it could In the situa-
zion respecting this road. Clarence
T.. Atkinson, secretary of the Cham
Der Of Commerce of that city, who
was Spokesman for the delegation,
was inclined to accuse the Highway
Board of favoritism in specifying the
material for this road and placed
the blame for the high cost of the
proposed work on the shoulders OF
It's members. When 1t was shown to
him that the specifications were
bpen that the price Of s4.25 a square
yard was not excessive, considering
present prices, and that il would be
Ii the best interests of all to go
ahead with the improvement at
Dnce Mr.. Atkinson withdrew his OBJ
Iections. The Highway Commission
then awarded the contract for the
work to the Standard Bitulithic
Company, of New York for $4,000.
The Highway Commission refused
TO sanction the laying of brick pave
ment on Route No. . of the State
Highway System, running through
The city of P~lainield. The mem
bers took the position that this is
not a satisfactory form Of pavement
Tor this piece of work and hence it
vas rejected.
October 20 was fixed as the date
when the commission will inspect
Route No. 10, which extends from
Paterson, Passaic county, TO Fort
Lee, Bergen county by way of Dun
dee Lake and H~ackensack. On the
same day the Highway Board will
T1ew the work now being done on
he Paterson Plank road in Bergen
county, which is being improved
With funds from the motor vehicle