The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-23
DISPLAYING HIGHWAY SENSE

The letting of the contract for concrete
paving on seventeen and a half miles OF the
Chiffon county section of the Montgomery
highway for only little more than thirty
one thousand, seven hundred dollars per
mile is sufficient answer to Chairman Rogers
statement. in his famous round-robin OF
March %: THE cost of a concrete road is
more than thirty-seven thousand dollars
mile" In a previous utterance, when urging
his ridiculous county maintenance plan Tor
low-type roads, Commissioner Rogers said
that concrete roads would cost upwards OF
fiftv thousand dollars a mile. Evidently a
little later figuring caused him to modify
that estimate Mr.. Rogers also attempted
to disparage the building of concrete roads
by saying that the people would have to
wait forty years for highways if such roads
were constructed. Now The Age-Herald
has never said that all the paved roads
should be Of concrete, nor has it said that
all the state roads should be paved with the
present revenue. But The Age Herald has
consistently Held that the main through high
ways should be paved, and has deprecated
the waste of funds on such an inadequate
construction as the Shelby county paving,
that is, black top on a macadam base in
filtrated with clay. when a seventeen con-
crete paving could have been had for ap-
proximately the same price.
The people of Alabama should know
however, that the concrete slab called for IN
the shelby county bids was thicker
than the standard throughout the country.
and about one inch thicker than the Chill
ton county slab. Therefore, the people may
know that they could have had a standard,
Glass con&rete highway through, Shelby
county for from five to ten thousand dollars
mile less than they are paying for the
inferior construction that is being laid there.
1t may amaze people to know that, whereas
the Shelby county road, asphalt on ma
cadam base, is costing a little over forty
thousand dollars a mile, yet first-class con-
crete road is to be built in the adjoining coun-
ty for nearly ten thousand dollars mile less.
1t is the same Chairman Rogers under whom
the Shelby county fiasco developed. who
Monday sought to obstruct an efficient high
way through Chiffon county, in spite of the
engineers earnest endorsement
1t should also be taken into consideration
that the two snatches of concrete paving al
ready laid by the highway commission,
amounting to a total of less than nine miles,
and divided into widely separated projects,
are such small jobs greatly to increase the
cost per mile, owing to the overhead that
must be charged to them. When concrete is
given it's proper competitive opportunity and
the concrete mileage in this state is in
creased. then contractors who operate on a
large scale will be able to reduce their bids
per yard or per mile While there are many
who sincerely believe that other types of
paving are equally as good as concrete, GER
tainly there Il no informed person who would
take the position that concrete is so inferior
to other types on a macadam base as to
warrant paying more for the other types
Yet the average price the state pays for
bituminous concrete is, according to the
commissions own figures, S32,S50 per mile.
This is based on a total of fifty-five miles,
whereas Mr.. Rogers figures as TO concrete
are based ON All miles in Dallas coupty He