Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-09-05
NEW SUBURBAN
PAVING PROGRAM
URGED BY HUNT
Material of Fixed Character
Should Cover Trunk High
. ways, He Says.

Characterizing the condition of the
suburban roads as Unsatisfactory"
c. b. Hunt. engineer of highways, to-
day recommended to the Commission
ers that these outlying arteries be
paved with sheet asphalt or a con-
crete base at the earliest possible
da ate.l-s>
In the annual report of L. r. Gra-
bill. superintendent Of suburban roads,
WHICH accompanied the recommended
tions of Mr. Hunt, the following three
suggestions are made to the Commits
sioners:
That all of the heavily Travelled
trunk highways be covered with pave
ments of fixed character as rapidly
as funds can be obtained from Con-
greSS.
That bound macadam roadways
and streets OF secondary importance
be resurfaced with bituminous ma
cadam.
That restrictive legislation be OBJ
tanned limiting the permissible weight
! carried by motor vehicles. This last
recommendation has been made by
Mr.. Grabill for several years.
| Mr.. Hunts report shows that dur
, ing the last fiscal year the city spent
s94,4Ss.1s for minor repairs to as
phalt streets.
Streets 40 Years Old.
IN Connection with these costs of
annual repair" Mr.. Hunt said, sit
should be considered that some of
forty years, and that the average age
of those we have resurfaced in re-
| cent years exceeds twenty-five years. q"
The total amount expended last year
by the engineer of highways was
s1,755,447.3S. This included the several
street appropriations made bv Con-
gress as we'll as money deposited by
corporations and individuals for re-
pairs to cuts in the streets.
Here is how this total expenditure
was divided:
The total amount of funds appropri-
ated by Congress and deposited by
corporations and others for disburse-
ment by the highway division ag-
gregated s1,755,447.3 of which $2S5,-
900 was for paving sidewalks and al
leys in all parts of the District; $144,-
$40 for paving new roadways. $642,-
500 for repairing old roadway pave
ments, including asphalt resurfacing;
$3.50, 900 for repair of suburban roads,
$27,500 for construction and repair
of bridges and viaducts, $4,000 for
grading streets and avenues, $4,000
for sidewalks and curbs around gov
ernment reservations, buildings and
parks; $4,000 for reconstructing
trestle and bins on N street north
east between 1st and I'd streets. while
$320,6 was spent in repairing
pavements disturbed by other branches
Of the District government and by va
rious corporations and others.
Unit Costs OF Work High.
unit costs Of work." Mr.. Hunt
stated in his report, Continued high
There was an unprecedented develop
ment of property by builders on many
streets either newly dedicated or lack
ing any surface improvements The
duty of supplying such improvements
thus placed upon us was beyond our
means and opportunities and the re-
suits of our efforts to perform 1t were
quite inadequate to the necessities
and disappointing to the property
owners and ourselves"
Congress, in the appropriation act
for the current year, took a step
toward meeting the urgent need for
pavements on new streets recently
built upon. The lawmakers allowed
Mr.. Hunt a lump sum Of $50,O0O,
which he may spend in surfacing new
streets imm ediately, provided the
abutting property owners deposit half
the cost of the job. IT is understood
the commissioners have asked for q
similar allotment in the new esti.
mates.