Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1920-03-10
IS NEW ROAD
EXTPAGANCE?
TAXPAYER HOLDS THAT CITY is THROWING MONEY
TO THE BIRDS-IE1PROVEMENT CAN BE MADE I.
SATISFACTORILY FOR ONE-THIRD THE SUM.
why Concrete Road to Cemetery

WHY q NuutICLb llDuu 10
Perhaps more people have asked
this question vocally or mentally as
they marched up to the city clerks
desk and deposited in taxes double
the amount they have ever paid in
any one year before, than have ever
asked any other single question since
the city was incorporated.
And, indeed why? That a good
road is needed goes without saying,
and there can be little doubt that the
majority of the people of this city
are in favor of building one; but why
q concrete road at $4,000 or $4,000
when good macadam road can be
built for about 10 that sum
The chief argument against mac
adam and for concrete is that mac
adam will not stand up under heavy
traffic of self-propelled vehicles while
concrete will. 1t follows, then, that
volume of traffic must be considered
in deciding the material from which
road should be constructed. This
road carries no through traffic and
a careful survey shows that, aside
from an occasional funeral process
sion, its only potential users are six
teen farmers-at least three of whom
habitually use other roads into town.
Can it be that traffic decided our
council in favor of concrete?
Madison street-or Potosi road as it
is better known at that point-from
the Rounds place to the Rothschild
residence. was macadamized in 1905
and stood up without a touch of re-
pairs for twelve years under a traffic
hundred times as great as this
road will ever be called upon to sus-
tain.
East Elm street, from Monroe
street to the top of the hill at the
Wepking home was macadamized 6
or years ago and is standing up
well even though during Fair week
alone it annually carries a greater
traffic than the cemetery road carries
in an entire year. Why then the ne
cessity for concrete on this road
which carries minimum of traffic?
Mr.. Mink, our County Road Com
missioner. is authority for the state
ment that a mile OF first-class water
bound macadam 16 feet in width can
be built this year for about $4,000 and
that the cost Of mile of Tarvia bound
macadam will be approximately dOub-
lie that amount or $4,000 with asphalt
ic macadam a little less expensive
than Tarvia
The Highway Commission of the
state OF Illinois estimates that an av-
erage mile of concrete road Is feet
wide will cost the state this year
$4,000 exclusive Of bridges and Gull
verts. while the Wisconsin Highway
Commission estimates that the con
crete alone, exclusive of grading and
culverts, will cost $4,000 per mile.
AS the grading is partly done and
has reached stage where it must be
completed no matter what material
is used for the road bed we will make
our comparisons on the Wisconsin es-
innate of $4,000 to the mile for con-
crete alone.
This road will be 1920 feet or ap-
proXimately 40 of a mile long and
would at that rate cost $4,000 if
built the regulation 16 feet wide but.
as it is now proposed to build it IL
feet wide. the cost for concrete alone
would be $4,000. exclusive of grad
ing and guard rails.
The following table will show at a
glance the difference in cost between
a II foot concrete road and Is foot
ordinary and Tarvia bound macadam
roads based upon estimates before
mentioned:
4-5 mile concrete road Il feet
wide ----------------- SIS, 900
4-5 mile Tarvia bound macad
am Is feet wide----------- 1920
40 mile ordinary macadam 16
feet wide $500
however as about 1-3 of the GEM
etery road is already macadam and
would only have to be smoothed and
resurfaced the cost of this particular
road in either of the latter two mater
iais would be considerably reduced
Setting aside for the moment the
enormous difference in cost, there is
a grave question as to whether II
foot ribbon of concrete is going to
prove anywhere nearly as satisfac-
tory on this road as 16 foot ordin-
airy macadam which could be built at
a very small fraction of its cost.
We have already paid $4,000 this
wear in taxes to be applied on this
road and $4,000 from last years bud
get has been spent making SIT 500
already raised. But let us not kid
ourselves into believing that this will
be the total or anywhere near the to-
tai cost. Because of the heavy grades
this road is going to cost much more
than the average and we venture the
prediction that, if it is built of con-
crete. we will have to go down into
our pockets next wear for another
10 or IL thousand dollars to finish
paying for it.
Nor is this any random guess.
Prices of both material and labor
have advanced since the estimates
were made. Cement now sells at
So. 20 a barrel and is going higher all
the time From 1000 to 1920 barrels
will be required for this work. Sand
must be imported from Beloit or some
equally distant point for the concrete.
Many car loads must be imported and
hauled a distance of Il to liz miles.
Freight rates are liable to rise before
it is shipped and hauling either by
train or truck will cost 20 to % per
cent more than last year.