Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-02-09
MUST REPAIR
FEDERAL ROADS
FEDERAL AID BILL PROVIDING
S75,OOO,OOO, STRICT IN THIS
REGARD.


stitch in time saves nine," and when
this is applied to the repair of inn
proved highways, it means the saving
of thousands of dollars a year to tax
payers.
Building the highest types of inn
proved roads and then promptly for
getting them, expecting them to pro-
vide their full measure of economic
service without further attention
must stop. This, in effect, is the dc
mand Of the United States govern
mcnt as expressed i'm the recently
enacted federal aid bill providing
S75,000,000 for road building in 1922
The provision for compulsory main
tenancc in the new federal aid bill is
one of its most important features. In
harmony with the spirit of President
Harding's first message to congress
in which he deprecated the failure u
give proper attention TO roads after
construction, the new act lays a heavy
penalty upon failure to maintain
roads to be constructed with federal
aid.
The act defines maintenance" in its
broadcst sense as 1.-The constant max
ing of needed repairs to preserve a
smooth-surfaced highway"
To insure that each highway aided
by the government will receive that
kind of maintenance, the act provides
that the secretary of agriculture shall
serve notice upon any state which al
lows road to suffer for lack of main
tenance.
If within 90 days after notice the
proper attention has not been given
to the road, the secretary is author
lied to proceed to maintain it himself
and to charge the cost against the
federal funds allotted to that state
The secretary is further ordered t.
refuse to approve any other project in
the state until the amount spent for
maintenance of the project in question
has been refunded by the state When
the money is paid back it is to be re-
apportioned among all of the states
so that the delinquent state will lose
all but a small portion.
Even the highest types Of pavement
require maintenance at some time OF
other, but some more than others. A
concrete pavement will crack at irreg-
ulas intervals, and these cracks must
be treated to keep the pavement from
quickly disintegrating. Bituminous
pavements may roll up and develor
bad spots occasionally, which spot.
must be cleaned out and restored. II
brick pavements there are times wher
some structural defect needs TO be
remedied to prevent impairment OF
the surface. In the case of secondary
pavement types, including the maca
dam family, periodic restoration anC
reconstruction are necessary since the
advent of motor driven vehicles.
1t is, therefore, to the interest OF
the various states:
Ito consider, in the selection OF
pavement types, the question Of cos
of maintenance over the entire life o.
the pavement, rather than the frs
cost alone.
2-To keep all pavcments in gooc
state of repair.
3-To keep complete, detailed anC
accurate records of maintenance cost.
on all types of pavements.
A number of states, as for eXampl,
Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts and New
York already are keeping such main
tenancc records, separating the COS
on the surface proper from the cos
on bitches, shoulders, bridges anc
signs.
In Illinois, for instance, brick an,
concrete types are listed as follows il
the last report of the state highway
commission, the figures showing tn,
average cost for one year of repairing
the surface Of a mile Of 1S-foot road
way:
Brick, all types, ~..............S 6.33
Concrete, cement ..~....... S1224
In Ohio, the records are even NOR,
complete, revealing the following
maintenance costs for one year anc
per mile Of all widths
Brick, rigid types, - %.
Concrete, cement .-....-..-..... 80.
Gravel, rolled ...--.-..-...........$3 1913.
Concrete, bituminous - S345.
Macadam, waterbound, . 1881.
Macadam, bituminous ..... 1885.
With the government now addin,
its influence to promote proper main
tenance, it is thought that an increas,
interest in the keeping of such records
will result in great saving to the tax
payers.