Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-10-27
3O-Mile Ribbon
Continued From Page One)

Of the bridge in tolls, or a saving of
$1,000 per day.
Some Of you may have noted that
the method of construction was
changed during the building Of this
highway, that is to say, in Falmouth,
Cumberland and Gray the pavement
was laid in one slab. eighteen feet
wide, and in New Gloucester and
Auburn the pavement is laid as two
nine-fOot slabs with a longitudinal
joint This change was made as the
result Of research work in process in
several parts OF the country.
Possibly a word on highway re-
search may be of interest. In De-
cember 1922, the Highway Advisory
Committee of the National Research
Council, reported that there were 486
separate highway research projects
in progress throughout the country.
These We're carried on by the Bur
eau of Public Roads. by the state
highway departments, by the col
!eges and technical schools and by
the manufacturers or road building
materials, machinery and equipment.
The research work vas divided as
follows: 267 researched on mater
ials. So studies in economics. is on
operation, 1l9 on design Of road
ways, I on vehicle design, II on con-
struCtion.
These Investigations, experiments
and tests We're conducted both in
the laboratory and in the field
Time does not permit for but
word with reference to the field ex-
periments. | would like. however. TO
mention the Bates Experimental
Highway, laid by the State Highway
Department of Illinois in 1920 and
h,Ii1 niO
feet wide and two miles in length.
1t consists of sixtY-three separate
sections Of highway, each one hun
drcd to two hundred and fifty feet in
length, that is to say. sections OF
highway built under different speci-
fcatiOnS. TWENTY-FIVE sections were
surfaced with brick. II with asphalt
and - with concrete. During the
two wears this broad was tested 10
destruction. tho maximum load in
use for the tests was ten tons, which
is the legal load allowed in the State
Of Illinois"
"As a result of the tests. the High
way Department of Illinois have de-
veloped a new design for concrete.
which, by the way. is the standard
pavement Of the state. This design
saves 1913 cubic yards in each mile.
or q saving in money of about S3OUo
per mile. In view of the fact That
the state is spending a S60,000,0OO
bond issue and is now agatatinS an
other bond issue for 500 900 adj
ditional. it can be readily seen that
the $500. 900 expended in building and
testing this road was wise eXpendl-
ture Of money, for its cost will be
saved in the construction of every
100 miles of road. and the state has
already built more than 1000 miles OF
concrete road.
"Our reasearch work has been very
limited but we have had the benefit
ot the work done by all the other
agencies throughout the country.
We have made some studies of
traffic and of maintenance costs. We
have counted traffic at various sta
tons on the State highway system.
In 1917 the average traffic per day at
all stations was 42S. 1t has gradually
increased until in 1923 the average
traffic AT all stations was COL; tho
maximum traffic. however. runs at
some stations 5000 per twelve hour
day.
with respect 70 maintenance
costs, We have found that on % miles
Of gravel state highway. carrying an
average traffic for a period Of seven
years Of $40 vehicles per day, the
maintenance cost has averaged 500.
Per mile, with costs last year on these
roads running between $500 and
$1,000, and that on 16 miles of bitum-
nous maCadem roads during a period
Of seven years the average traffic
is 1871 per day, at an average cost
Of 1865 per mile. In other words. we
have carried three times the volume
of daily traffic on the bituminous
roads and the maintenance cost has
been only little more than half as
much as the maintenance cost of
gravel roads.
During the present year alternate
hlds FOR building bituminous and
gravel roads were taken on several
projects The greatest difference in
cost between the two types was $4,000
per mile and the least cost was $500
per mile, so that there does not seem
to be any question but that good bus
mess judgment would dictate to con-
struct the bituminous macadem pave
mPnt
Il trust that the future will prove
the good judgment of the Commission
IN having carried this project through
to com Dleti