The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-07-26
STREET CONDITIONS SUMMED UP BY CITY
ENGINEER IN Statement ISSUED TUESDAY

A review Of the street situation in
Richmond, outlining the methods that
have been employed locally to bring
the streets to the good condition they
are now in, and recommendation for
the future improvement of streets of
the city, is made in an interview
given by Dell Davis, city engineer.
A definite program of improvement
for the city streets to extend over
number of years, is recommended by
the engineer, who says great savings
would be made the city in short
time. Mr.. Davis statement follows:
AT no time in the history of Rich
mond have our streets been in as good
condition. OF course there are streets
which are not perfect and many which
can be improved. but taken as whole
they are in much better condition
than those of other cities.
Open Spring Helped
The open spring which permitted
the department to get an early start,
was taken advantage of. No delay
was occasioned at the start by having
the street building machinery out of
repair. 1t is customary with the de-
partment, during the winter months
when outside work is slack, to have all
tools repaired and made ready for the
summers work. This repair work is
done in the city's repair shop, situated
in part of the old light, heat and power
electric plant. The shop is model
one containing all the necessary tools
and equipment to do work quickly and
Sf xx,s,,f ha rn1I0rc
| were overhauled and repainted, the
rotary sweepers were repaired, road
| oiler and other smaller tools repaired
! and put in perfect shape for the sum
| mer's work. So well was the work
done that so far this year not a mo
ment's delay has been occasioned due
| to break downs. The city is certainly
fortunate in having Mr.. Frank Ray and
I Chan Williams do their mechanical
work Much credit is due them fol
the excellent work that has been &C
complished.
THE repair and maintenance O
| streets comprise three divisions O.
work, namely: the scarifying and re
rolling of streets by the road roller
the patching of streets with hot tarvi;
and crushed stone by the maintenance
patrol gang; and the distributing o
tarvia over the entire surface of "a,
streets.
Helps to Preserve Street.
More tarvia has been distributes
on the street this summer than eve
before. The citizens are coming t
realize the importance Of keeping
ibinder over the macadam and grave
streets. 1t not only prevents the for
nation of dust but waterproofs tn
surface. causing the water from rain
to quickly escape to the CUTTERS leay
ing the roadway dry and hard.
THE city, in years past, has spen
many thousands of dollars from tn
general fund for building macadar
streets. These streets were improve
by the city at no expense to the abu'
ting property owners whatever. Thi
practice of building streets out of tn
general fund is followed by no othe
city that / know Of At the presen
time the cost of crushed stone pro
hibits the city from building more c
these streets from this fund. TIL
streets are here, they represent thou!
ands of dollars in taxes, so cons,
quently it is up to US to maintain theI
as long as we can. The life of N;
cadam streets which are not protecte
with a binder is from two to fou
years, depending on the traffic Thos
who ride in automobiles will observ
the difference between the street
which have been treated with Tarvi
. and those which have not. The III
treated surface soon develops sma