The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-02-02
HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE

HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE
"A stitch in time saves nine" and
when this is applied to the repair of
improved highways, it means the saw
ing of hundreds of thousands of dollars
a year to taxpayers.
Building the highest types of i'm
proved highways and then promptly
forgetting them, expecting them to
provide their full measure of economic
service without further attention, must
stop. This. in effect, is the demand Of
the United States government as ex
pressed in the recently enacted feder-
al aid bill providing $75.000,ooo for
road building in 1922.
The provision for compulsory main
tenance in the new federal bill Is one
of its most important features. In
harmony with the spirit of President
Hardings first message to congress,
in which he deprecated the failure to
give proper attention to roads after
construction, the new act lays 3, heavy
penalty upon failure to maintain roads
to be constructed with federal aid.
The act defines maintenance in
its broadcast sense as the constant
making 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 q road to suffer for lack OF main
tenance.
II within ninety days after notice
the proper attention has not been given
TO the road, the secretary is authorized
TO proceed to maintain it himself and
to charge the cost against the federal
funds allotted to that state. The sec
rotary is further ordered to refuse to
approve any other project in the state
until the amount spent for mainte-
nance of the project in question has
been refunded by the state When the
money is paid back it is to be reap
portioned 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 or
other, but some more than others. A
concrete pavement will crack at ir-
regular intervals, and these cracks
must be treated to keep the pavement
from quickly disintegrateing. Bit
luminous pavements may roll up and
develop bad spots occasionally, which
spots must be cleaned out and re-
stored. In brick pavements there are
times when some structural defect
needs to be remedied to prevent i'm
pairment Of the surface. In the case
of secondary pavement types, includ-
ing the macadam family, periodic res
toration and reconstruction are neces-
sary since the advent of motor driven
vehicles.
It is, therefore, to the interest of the
various states:
Ito consider, in the selection
of pavement types, the ques-
ton OF cost of maintenance
over the entire life OF the
pavement rather than the first
cost alone.
2-To keep all payements in a
good state of repair.
3--To keep complete, detailed
and accurate records of main
tenance costs on all types Of
pavements.
A number of states, as for example.
Ohio. Illinois, Massachusetts and New
York already are keeping such main
tenance records. separating the cost
on the surface proper from the cost
on bitches, shoulders. bridges and
signs.
In Illinois, for instance. brick and
concrete types are listed as follows in
the last report of the state highway
commission. the figures showing the
average cost for one year of repair
ing the surface of a mile Of Is foot
roadway:
Concrete, cement. ....s... S42.24
Brick, all types. 6.33
In Ohio, the records are even more
complete, revealing the following
costs for one year and
per mile of all widths:
Brick, rissd types, ..........s %.
Concrete, cement. ...........S 90.
Gravel rolled, 1913.
Concrete. bituminous ......$345.
Macadam, waterbound. 1881.
Macadam, bituninous ..... $685..
With the government now adding its
Influence to promote proper mainte-
nance, it is thought that an Increased
interest in the keeping Of such records
will result in great saving to the tax
payers.