The Washington times., 1925-02-25
DC. IS NEAR TOP
|. ON DURABILITY
Of STREETS
Omaha, Washington, and
Hartford Hold Records for
Service Of Pavements

vania avenue. Washington, D. c.,
the asphalt pavement Of which has
given service for forty-eight years,
Omaha, it is believed, has estab-
lished record for durability in
street construction. A recent in.
spection Of Omaha asphalt black
base pavements, laid in 1889 to
1898, showed them to be in good
condition and still giving excellent
service. The city has g. total of
1O2 ,172 square yards of four and
one-haIf-inch black base pavements
with a one and one-half-inch sheet
asphalt top of which 3,003 square
yards were laid in 1899, 77,426
square yards in 1890, 12.415 square
yards in 1891 and 1884 square
yards in 1893.
The pavements. therefore, are all
from thirty-one to thirty-five years
,! old. In spite OF their age it has
been necessary only to resurface
2 per cent of the total yardage
originally laid, or 2,134 square
| 1905 on payements constructed IN
! 1891.
Low Maintenance Cost
One of the reasons advanced for
the popularity Of asphalt street
pavements-as evidenced by the
| fact that $50 per cent of all street
| paving of the types higher than
water-bound macadam In the 29O
leading cities OF the country IS OF
asphalt--is that asphalt pavemenfs
require only q very low cost Tor
maintenance.
It is rare that maintenance figures
ION pavements are so recorded that y
| is possible, after q lapse OF years, to
arrive at the cost of maintaining the
surface. The engineering depart
ment, city of Hartford, Conn; how
ever, has systematically recorded
costs Of maintenace on its asphalt
pavements from the time OF the ex-
piration of the guarantee periods
down to date. Some of these pave
ments are twenty.nine years old. A
recent inspection found them in e2-
cellent condition.
For instance, Ford street, which
was paved with asphalt in 1908 ana
which is traVersed by street car
tracks with the asphalt paving laid
up to the rails, has cost the city Tor
maintenance only an average OI
s0.O16 Il 3-5 cents) per square yard
! per year for the past sixteen years.
Notwithstanding its long service this
pavement is still in excellent condi-
| ton.
ASYLUM streets, Hartford, was paved
with asphalt in 1896 and after TWEEN
ty.eight years Of service the pave
ment is still in good condition DE-
spite the fact that it is traversed by
car tracks and Is also subjected Tn
heavy motor vehicle traffic.
Twenty-six years ago Anne streN
between Asylum and Allen streets
| in Hartford, was paved with as'
nhalt. The original pavement -
still giving excellent service and has
been maintained at an average cost
of $0.014 as cents per square yard
per year.
In 1903 Hartford laid an asphalt
pavement on Pearl street, the sur
| face. as in the case OF Ford street,
being carried right up to the rails
of two lines of car tracks. For
fwenty.one years this street has
heen carving traffic of all kinds
1 at an average cost for maintenance
of only Q cents per square yard
per year. It is also still in perfect
condition.
| Little Spent Here.
The streets and avenues OF Wash.
Iington, D. c., are justly regarded
as the best paved OF any OF the
great world capitals, but 1t WILL De
| q surprise to the average American
to learn that Washington beautt-
ful asphalt pavementS are main
| tanned at a yearly cost much less
than that of the average trunk Hnc
country highway. Tne report Oh
the Engineer Commission 1or Ine
District Of Columbia covering 1879
showed the average cost or MAIN
Eoininr asphalt pavements that year
was 2.22 or at the rate OF $1S4.40
ner mile of eighteen feet roadway.
This of itself is a good showing,
hut II becomes striking in the light
of the Commissioners comment. he
taaid: "In connection with these
costs of annual repair 1t should be
| considered that some OF the streets
approximate an age or forty years,
ana that the average age or those
we have resurfaced in recent past
Years exceeds twenty-five years.
The besH pavements laid in WASH
ington average at present prices
| onlv about $500 to 1925 per square
vard for new construction or oas~
| and TOD OF dI LAO A%SO ~
| s35 900 per mile, a rate actua1Ey
| Iower than the average first cost
| of many roads on state highway
| routes. .,..4 c+o+o
IN the Union to provide for stare
highways. Its highway departmer
Was established in 1893-more than
thirtv wears ago. The Massachr-
satts department. therefore Is pet
ter qualified, perhaps than any
other in the country to give detalIe1
| information on the cost OF state
road maintenance.
Long Service.
Massachusetts has large mile
aoa OF asphalt pavements tnat
have seen long periods OF service
The impressive showing made by
the stare Of only III cents per
square ward for maintaining 1'742.-
166 square yards of asphaltic con-
crete pavements during 1923 IS an
the more remarkable when the
| nauv years of service renuereu
| nv these pavements are considered
ON the basis Of a roadway eighteen
feet wide the above malntenahc9
| cost Is equivalent to only $424 per
| mile.
! On the asphalt macadam pave
ments in Massachusetts, paVements
which have a longer average age
than those of the asphaltic con-
crete and which are usually or
lighter construction, the average
| cost for the maintenance OF S,O19.-