Milford chronicle., 1928-05-11
BUILD CONCRETE
ROADS ONLY
An Interview With Samuel A.
Green, Roads Engineer Of Balti-
more County, Md., on the EcOnO-
mics of Hard Paving.

Twenty years of road building ex-
perience in Maryland has convinced
Samuel A. Green, roads engineer OF
Baltimore county, that there is lit
tie argument in favor of paving
types inferior to concrete. AS a
matter of fact, he offers the inter
esting information that contract Tor
seven inch uniform concrete paw
ing, fifteen feet wide, let in March
of this year, averaged $23,7OO
mile, which is less than the county
has paid for some of its Outbound
macadam roads.
On maintenance costs, Mr.. Green
has even more interesting figures
in support of the economy of dur
able, hard-surfaced paving which
now is being built at the rate of
ninety per cent. of all new annual
construction, not only in Baltimore
county, but in the entire state OF
Maryland.
1.-THE annual maintenance on our
macadam roads runs about $1,000,
a mile" Mr.. Green said. With this
amount we do the best we can, but
in order to maintain our macadam
roads properly it would cost us
about $500 a mile. The folly OF
building roads that cost so much
for up-keep is quite apparent.
"In striking contrast to the
maintenance rate on macadam, our
concrete roads never cost more
than $500 a mile for annual main
tenance, and this includes the cost
of grading shoulders, cleaning
bitches and of all other work that |
is necessary to keep the right-of-
way in good condition and safe for
traffic. The first year the malnten-
ance on our concrete paved roads,
including the other work mentioned
here, runs about $1O0 a mile. After
that time the maintenance increas-
es because of the necessity to I'LL
cracks and repair breaks.
"On some of our twenty-four foot
concrete roads that extend through
towns. from curb to curb, our rec
lrds show that the concrete SLAB
is only $50 a mile an
nually.
"The farmers in Baltimore coun-
" are rapidly coming to rel1za-
ion of the fact that it does not pay
o try to save money by building !
roads that soon fall into a state OF
lisrepair under the impact of tra1-
ic. They have become very much
Interested in the merits and econo-
nies of hard-surfaced paving. They
ike concrete roads, and when they
lon't get them they want toi know
Why. There are times when we
lave only a. small appropriation to
improve a short stretch of road
vhere it would be impractical to
ave with concrete. Such stretches
re improved with Outbound maca- !
am. Under existing circumstances ,
t does not pay us to set up ma {
hinery for concrete paving where
My a thousand or so feet are to !
e improved in some more or less
solated section where the small
olume of traffic does not demand :
Immediate concrete paving"
Mr.. Green, who has been in COM !,
lete charge of road building in
ialtimore county for the last six = =
ears, believes that he has solved to
large extent the problem of how :
} minimize cracking of concrete Z
avements in Maryland. This he 7
oes by digging the drainage ditch
S to a depth Of twelve inches be-
wv the sub-grade. He has adhered q
} this hpractice for four years, and 4
check-up has demonstrated to him I
nat there is less cracking on the a
Oncrete roads built in that period 8
ian any built previously. He is n
onvinced that the matter of drain a
ge needs more attention in con- L
ection with concrete road con- v
especially in states where +
lch roads are built without rein d
'rcing, and believes that if i'm p