Evening journal., 1922-10-26

/ ! road at a rapid rate of speed one
= rarely notices them. Then, too, the
growth of grasses on the earthen
shoulders of the road have tied down
these shoulders until they are ac-
tually better than when first built.
But that the reader may under
sand just the present condition OF
improved state highways Throughout;
Delaware. let us go over the route II
. detail.
The latest piece OF obstruction
in Wilmington is the marine termi-
nal road. just completed, leading
from Commerce street to the deep
water terminal being constructed by
the municipal Board of Harbor Com
missioners at the mouth of the
Chr istiana River. This road is $500
feet in length of eight-inch reinforce
ed concrete. twenty feet wide, laid
In two sections. The reinforcement
Is mat of steel rods. and the road
was built in two sections in the be-
lief that with this form OF construc.
ton fewer longitudinal cracks occur.
As It should be TO stand the pound
ing Il will get from heavily laden
motor trucks and steel-rlmmed carts
and wagons. this road is OF sturdy
construction.
Going north on Market street one
reaches on the Philadelphia pike
what is admittedly one of the best
brick roads laid on a concrete foun-
dation in the world. After three
years of use this road shows scarce
" any wear and is actually smoother
than the day il was opened TO travel.
| Along the roadside at the top of
! Penny Hill are scales of che High
way Department, on which are
weighed heavy trucks to ascertain
! that Their maximum weight when
loaded does not exceed the limit
prescribed by law.
Turning from the Philadelphia
pike just over Naaman's Creek one
uses the Naaman's Creek road to
reach the Foulk road. This lateral
was completed in October, 1921, and |
Is a l6-foot concrete road, three and |
one-half miles in length. The Naa- |
mans Creek road was a "state-aid |
hob" BY "stae-aid job" is meant |
that the State and county each paid
for one-half the. cost of construction,
while the engineering work and SUI
pervision was done by the state
Highway Department. Incidentally |
on the portion of the Foulk road |
north Of the junction with the Naa-
mans Creek road, one sees an ex- |
ample Of the stimulating influence |
of state highway construction. The |
county authorities are rebuilding
this northern end OF the Foulk road
to the Pennsylvania state line by
constructing shoulders TO hold in the !
old macadam road and are laying a |
new penetration top that will make |
a good 14-foot road.
The Concord pike leading from
the city limits to the Pennsylvania
state line was a Federal aid road
along two miles of which the old
hard-surface shoulders still in good
condition have been retained. The
growth OF motor bus lines using this
road since It was rebuilt is abundant
proof OF its utility and value.
As one crosses Market street
bridge over the Christiana he starts
on the real dupont State Highway
The first stretch which has been
completed about a year is is feet
wide and extends to Hare's Corner.
The portion OF this piece over the
causeway replaced a road that was
in lamentable condition. At this
point MI, raising the grade six and
seven feet was necessary in places.
From Hare's Corner to Tybout's
Corner is another new stretch OF
road with only one break In It, that
caused by an under-g grade crossing
being constructed to replace the
highly dangerous railroad grade
crossing at State Road. There re-
mains 4400 feet OF construction at
this point but the work IS under way
and a large part can be completed
In advance OF the completion of the
railroad bridge work. on this new
road one is impressed with the un-
usually wide shoulders and ample ,
right Of way. s
on this section OF road the first
crew was observed at I
work on shoulders. And the value ,
Of maintenance work on concrete
roads cannot be over-estimated. on Z
Delaware state highways malnte- I
nance literally starts from the day +
he road is turned over by the con- Z
ractor. The whole State is divid- d
I'd into - districts and mainte- q
nance crew works constantly within r
Is own district A prize OF SOS is q
offered to the foreman of the main /
epance crew who is adjudged to l.
nave done the best work during the $
year. d
Inst befora reacbiro, T,,ho,,t,e Coz .
1er one notices the first of the way
side markets which have sprung up L
n numbers all along the improved O
highways. There under a rough il
she'd a farmers boy was displaying r
FOR sale at rock-bottom prices ap- r
oles, sugar corn. pears. potatoes and S
other staple articles. Some Of the
farmers have built up quite a sub I
stantial trade at their way-side mar !,
Sets. t,
From Tybouts Corner to St. t,
Georges is a new concrete road Is h
'eet wide. 10000 feet in length. Il
save for some work on C.
he shoulders, still 10 be done. All &
II this road is ready for public o
ravel.
Skipping over to Bear Station e
here is a new concrete lateral road s
Inder construction, five miles in n
ength, that will extend to Glasgow. c
wo and one-half miles from the n
Maryland line. The Maryland high &
way authorities have promised TO p
ink up this lateral with a good o
main route from Elkton to VIII n
\