Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-23

uduce Cost OIL foC-.0J.
Gravel VS.. Bituminous Cost
Comparing the cost of mainte-
nance OF gravel roads with the cost
of maintenance of the bituminous
roads shown above, and bearing in
mind the average daily traffic on
each of the two kinds of roads, it
figures out that the cost of carrying
traffic on the bituminous roads is
about one-fifth as much per vehicle
as is the cost upon gravel surfaced
roads.
The Highway Commission fully
understand that no road can be
built which is SO agreeable to travel
upon as is a firSt-claSs gravel sur
faced highway. No one in the
United States, however. has yet
learned the secret of keeping Il gra-
vel road in firSt-cl condition with
out the use of bituminous surface
treatment whore the traffic on these
roads exceeds 500 vehicles per day.
When the volume of traffic reaches
between 400 and 800 vehicles per
twelve-hour day, all gravel roads be-
gin to have the washboard or CORFU
gated surface. 1t is then necessary,
in order to preserve the surface in
q condition that is at all agreeable
for use, to resort to bituminous sur
face treatment, which, will attend
ant patrol expense, will average to
cost $1,000 per mile per year.
Watching the mounting mainte-
nance cost on gravel roads. this eX-
tremely expensive maintenance cost
is what the Highway Commission
have foreseen when they have been
urging during the last few years the
construction of more hard surfaced
roads and less mileage Of gravel
surfaced highways. The Commission
have been fearful that maintenance
costs would increase so rapidly that
present sources of maintenance
funds would be entirely inadequate
to keep these roads in satisfactory
condition.
Furthermore, the Commission
have observed by Il study of the
maintenance costs OF the bituminous
surfaced highways that these costs
do not vary greatly one year with
another. The customary method of
maintaining bituminous surfaces is
to give them Il light surface treat
ment of bituminouS material each
alternate year. That accounts for
the expense being larger one year
anu liz nltI iHt -IltNL Year. III tIle
case of the Falmouth road. however,
during the years 1920 and 1921 this
road was given quite heavy recon-
struction, due to the fact that the
foundations provided for this road
when it was built were inadequate
to carry the heavily increased traffic.
This condition was brought about
primarily by an endeavor to save
every last cent possible in the origi-
nal construction cost of the road.
which appears now to have been if
not false economy at least economy
of a questionable nature.
Danger of Fund Exhaustion
The Highway Commission have
also had in mind this fact, that if
increasing traffic necessitates con-
Stantly increasing expenditures for
maintenance, as seems to be borne
out by the above statements of MAIN
tenance costs. we shall soon arrive
at u place where maintenance costs
will use up all motor vehicle fees
and even with a constantly increas-
ing number of automobile registra-
tions it will be impossible to finance
any further State highway construc-
ton from this source unless regis
tration fees are materially increased
in amount or other sources of in
come are found for carrying on
highway construction work.
The motorist should have an in
terest in the type of highway sur
face produced from the expenditure
Of his money-automob license
fees-~on account of the fact, which
has been established by tests in vari-
Gus parts of the country, that the
cost of operating motor vehicles is
from two to three cents per mile less
on hard surface pavementS than
upon gravel surfaced highways.
A report recently made by the
Vermont State Chamber of Com
merce on the question of saving In
the operation of motor vehicles on
the two types of highways discloses
the fact that the Kentucky State
Highway Department figure the av-
erage cost per mile of operating au-
tomobiles on unpaved roads as .O672
and on paved roads the average cost
was .04o2, clear saving of two and
one-half cents per mile in favor of
the paved road.
The Highway Department OF New
Mexico submits the following data
collected by that Department:
LAS it was important to be able
to ascertain the financial status OF
the enterprise at any time, we, de-
vised a complete cost record system
for each car in service.