Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-04
Chamber of Commerce
fConSinued from paca Nnal

improved road built since 1913, of
which more than 80 per cent is grav-
Ell surfaced. There are about 100
miles of bituminouS macadam road
and about 81 miles Of concrete road.
For the last four years there has
been O third class road law, which
provides for the improvement of
roads not State highways or State
aid highways. Third class funds
are allotted to towns whose taxes
for highway purposes are four milIe
or more. The distribution Of third
class money this year Is on the basis
highway in towns which are eligible
for the money.
The State and County aid bridge
law has been in operation since 1917
and under this law about $3.50, 600
has been expended and III bridges
have been rebuilt.
Since 1916 the commission have
had charge Of the maintenance of all
State highways and of the major
portion Of the State aid highways.
About 400 miles Of road have been
maintained by patrol system. This
mas neceSsitated the employment of
Just few less than 500 patrolmen.
me expenditures for this work in
1919 were $1,1O4. 600. of which the
State furnished $4,000 and the
towns $4,000. or about 81 of State
money Is put into maintenance
against each dollar from the town.
Maintenance money IL the residue of
the automobile registration and H.
cense fees after providing for the
payment Of interest and principal ON
the highway bonds, after purchasing
and distributing automobile regis
tration plates. after providing for the
expense OF the motor police and the
ONCE expenses of the State High
way Commission. Since July z, las,.
we have had gasoline tax Of one
cent per gallon and from July z to
January l the tax amounted to S2S6. :.
loo.o4. One-half OF this amount
goes to the maintenance fund ana
the other half to the third class road
fund. ''' '--
Total expenditures under the d.
rection or the State Highway Com
mission from 1913 to 1923 amounted
to $B2, 347.917OO, and during the
same 10 years the towns EXPENDED
in excess Of $23.00O,OOO in their
road work.
10 show that there was a healthy
sentiment in all the towns for road
Improvement, the speaker staten
that from 1914 to 1924, inclusive.
state appropriations had been insult
ncient to meet State aid asked for
py the towns to the extent of 81. -
45o,oO7.7S and that on this account
toWn appropriations amounting to
SoooS,9Ol.Sl had not been expended.
In other words, If the legislature
had furnished sufficient funds to
meet appropriations made by the
towns for State aid work we would
have had $2,328. 509.69 worth more
OF state aid roads than we have
To-Day. This would have amounted
to at least 800 additional miles oT
improved roads.
The State Highway Commission
have not undertaken much Invested
ton work but a laboratory has been
maintained at the State University
on cooperative basis for testing
roco building materials. During the
last ten years over 1900 tests of ma
terials have been made, including
cement, sand, gravel, rock, etc, Some
study has been given to the cost OF
corrugationS in gravel road surfaces.
The Bureau of Public Roads had g.
representative in Maine during the
season Of 1921, as we'll as in several
other states. AS a result of the
bureaus study it has been stated
that the cause of corrugtions in
gravel roads is: (1) 1.-THE kick back
OF the surface material arising from
the spin OF the rear wheels of auto.
| mobiles as they descend after a
bounce over some obstacle on or de-
| preston in the road surface; (2)
From impact Of both front and rear
| wheels Of automobiles" This condi-
ton does not occur until a road car
ries traffic of about 500 or more
automobiles per twelve-hour day,
| The only satisfactory remedy for this
condition which the State Highway
| Commission has discovered. Is to treat
| these surfaces with bitumfnous ma
terial, and this treatment costs about
$1,000 per mile per year.
! The Commissions study Of traffic
! since 1916 was referred to and II
| was shown that the average traffic
on the highways in this State in
1928 was two and one-half times as
| heavy as in 1917.
Maintenance costs, in comparison
with the volume of traffic, were given
on several sections of gravel surfaced
| highway and on several sections of
bituminous macadam highway. with
the following result: Considering
volume Of traffic and average main
tenance costs per year over a period
of six, seven or eight years. 1t has
been ascertained that traffic can be
carried at about one-sixtb the cost
per vehicle mile on bituminous mac
adam surfaces in comparison with
gravel surfaced highways.
The speaker also stated that al
ternate bids were requested in 1923
for both gravel surfaced and blum
! nous surfaces on several sections of
, State highway. The greatest differ
ence in any of these bids was $500
per mile and the least difference was
| $500 per mile. In view Of the fact
that maintenance costs have aver
aged over a period years only one
half as much on the macadam roads
as on the gravel roads, the bitumin4
J Gus macadam type was selected in
every instance. rs .
It was also shown that records