Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-10
argued that with this know1eaxe the

argued that with this knowledge the
question Of highway construction "as-
sumes an economic aspect quite aside
from the question of type and first
cost of the highway" He estimated
that s77,O00.000, is invested in motor
vehicles in this State, and presented
some of the results of an investigation
iato the cost Of operation. He esti-
mated that passenger automobiles
would average 5000 miles per season
at IL miles per gallon cf gasoline; that
trucks would average 5000 miles per
year at an average OF five miles per
gallo Il. thus estimating consumption
in This State CT 40.T2S.076 gallons of
gasoline. A tax of one cent per gal
ion would afford a revenue of $500, 900
year. with probably $4,000 49, mere
for tourists. He estimated that 90
10000 gallons would be consumed on
our State Highway system alone.
TESTS conducted by the University
OF California show that it takes
about one third the pull to move a
ton load over a level concrete road
surface as over a good gravel sur
face, and tests made at Cleveland,
Ohio, by the White Automobile Com
pany determine that two ton truck
loaded to capacity would travel 11.7S
miles on a gallon of gas on a con-
crete surfaced road as against 9.39
miles on good gravel road. In 9TH
er words, these latter tests showed
that with concrete surface twenty
five per cent more mileage can be
secured from the consumption of
gasoline, or to travel the same num-
Der of miles on concrete road as
you would on a gravel road it would
| mean a reduction Of twenty per cent
in the cost of your gasoline bill.
IF we had concrete highway sur
faces instead of gravel highways on
| our State highway system. that
would reduce the 100000 gallons of
gasoline which just referred to, to
100000 gallons. In other words,
we would save 100000 gallons of
gasoline in travelling the same mil
cage. and if gasoline is worth twenty
| eight cents per gallon that would
/ mean a direct saving in the gasoline
bill alone of $1,120,OO0. That amount
of money would pay the interest at
five per cent on $22,400,000, and at
| 100000 per mile. which I believe
would. be about the cost of concrete
roads when conditions are normal,
| this amount would build 745 miles of
| concrete highway.
THE maintenance cost must also
be considered. Maintenance costs of
| concrete roads have been kept for
several years in six or seven states.
! The highest cost l have seen recorded
was in the State of Washington, with
a cost of $40 per mile per year, and
in all of the other states the cost has
averaged less than 500 per mile per
| year Let us call the cost of main
| tenance of concrete pavement $3.50
per mile per year.
I'VE find it necessary to give a
gravel road which carries more than
| 400 vehicles per day bituminous
surface treatment and the cost Of
maintaining gravel roads by this
method runs anywhere from $3.50 to
s1100 per mile per year. Let us call
the cost Of maintenance of gravel
roads $3.50 per mile per Year,
THE cost of maintaining the con-
crete road will show $500 per mile
per annum less than the cost of
maintaining the gravel road and for
| twenty-tw two miles would show saw
ing of sl5,400 per annum.
I'VE have said nothing about the
saving in tire costs or wear and tear
of the machines as between smooth
concrete road and a good gravel
| road
with the savings pointed out
above. allowing nothing for savings
in wear of tires or wear and tear on
automobiles, we can show a saving
of about twelve per cent per year on
the cost of the road to the users.
When we borrow money at five per
cent and invest it SO as to return a
dividend of. twelve per cent, it looks
to me like good business and I be-
lieve We should make more invest
ments of THIS kind.
Furthermore, we shall have with
| the concrete road a pavement which
| will be good and passable three hun
dred and sixty-five days year, ex-
cept during the period when the road
is covered with snow. Our gravel
| iOduo are SOOu loI Gin VI SCNSl
months in the year"
The speaker referred to tests made
showing that average wear on con-
crete roads tested was one half of
one per cent over an Swear period.
''In other words, if those highways
are being paid for by a forty year
bond, when the bond natures if the
wear is at the same rate as during
the first eight years there will be
81 IL per cent of the pavement left
when the bonds are paid off.
II should say in fairness to other
types of pavement that l believe we
would find equal economy in the con-
Struction of sheet asphalt on a con-
| crete base, as far as operating costs
and maintenance goes. / rather pre-
! fer the concrete surface to the as
phalt surface as it is less slippery
in wet weather and concrete gives
| better traction for tires than does the
| bituminous bound pavement.
| Just word now about what the
Commission has been doing this year.
We have had an exceptionally salts
| factory season. The weather has
been the best anyone has ever
known; labor has been more plenti-
| full than for five years and contract
ors have been willing to undertake
work. We have had forty eight diff
ferent State highway projects under
construction. About half of them
were uncompleted Jobs coming over
from 1919 and 1920. Some twenty
four projects were put under con-
struction this year. The whole list