The Washington herald., 1922-02-03

America Tot number Of years" according 10 the
Kansas City Star
The Star finds that aside from graft and po-
tical manipulation, the situation has beep due to
the fact that America entered the road building
game rather late and has been under obligations to
meet a wide demand with the least possible delay.
under conditions that made Of small avail the ex-
perienee of foreign countries in this field.
Fortunately, the evil of this form Of procedure
IS being recognized. 1t is becoming evident that,
IN view of the vast sums that going into road
work. the public is insstenty demanding moro
serviceable construction And those responsible for
road building are beginning to be aware OF this
condition. Scientific study Of the best type of road
for this that section of the country, for given
amount of traffic and for the materials that arc
most readily available, has been undertaken with a
promise of results that may mean the ultimate
elimination of much guesswork from road building.
together with much better roads and considerably
more return on the money invested.
For several years the United States Bureau
of Public Roads and. in limited manner, certain
State highway departments have been investigating
the value, under given conditions, of various types
OF road. But in recent months there have been in
operation two tests of road construction that are
decidedly distinctive and practical, as well highly
scientific. These the tests the Bates expert
mental road in Illinois and on an experimental
highway at Pittsburg. Cal.
"ln both these cases limited amount of road
was built of certain materials, by sections, and
trucks of varying loads the high
ways for weeks and months. Results have been
carefully noted. In the Illinois experiment it has
been discovered, among other things, that elimna-
ton of moisture from the subgrade is impossi-
blity and that the moisture must be considered a
permanent factor in the building. 1t was discovered,
too, that laboratory tests to the stress of
tain load must be accepted at not more than S. per
cent in the building of a road that is meant to
withstand actual of traffic. A 4-inch concrete
surface that might appear satisfactory in the abora
tory would have to be made 8-inch surface for
a real road
In the California experiment there were tests
of thirteen types OF road including the type used
extensively by the State highway department. The
startling result that this type upon which mil
lions of dollars had been spent, the first of the
thirteen to break down. 1t was 5-inch concrete
surface, REINFORCED by twenty of steel per
mile 1t found also that the surface
thickness with twenty-four of steel re-enforcc
ment the mile would not stand up. Plain
crete of S-inch thickness, however, showed better
results, as did the s-inch thickness with ifty-hve
tons of steel reinforcement to the mile.
"What kind of road should not be built appears
to be the clcarest demonstration, far, of the
California experiment. But the kind of road that
should be constructed in both States, as we'll as in
other States where conditions similar, may be
revealed by these and like experiments elsewhere
when sufficiently prolonged"