The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-02-08
o. s. ENGINEER LAUDs MARI
LAND ROADS
Says States Traffic Artery System i
One or The Best

years than any other State rosds
system in the country, according TO
Thomas H. Macdonald chief Of pc
Bureau of Public Roads Of the PEI
partment Of Agriculture.
The outstanding achievements of
the State Roads Commission In this
period, he declared, was the develsp-
ment of a Statewide roads systsm
by the reclamation of existing roaas
at an amazingly low maintenaKce
cost" and with negligible" puMic
bonded indebtedness.
Comparing the construction of
roads in Maryland with those IN
other States, Mr.. Macdonald said
that the test of road building is the
ability of the roads to meet traffic ie-
quirements over continuous perpd
of years. The roads Of Maryland
have met that test with success, lle
asserted.
The Federal roads chief credited
John N. Mackall, former chairmRn
and chief engineer OF the Maryland
commission, with developing engiAe-
ering plans for road building whleh
enabled Maryland to retain all OF It's
main roads and improve them atIa
minimum cost and with funds thps
saved build secondary roads to con
meet with the main roads.
Living within its tax income and
without bond issues, the commission
has built more miles of road, COM
paratively, than most other States,
he asserted. BY reclamation OF ex-
listing roads, Mr.. Macdonald said,
all of the principal roads were built
years ago, and Maryland is enc Of
three States which is now allowed
to use Federal road appropriations
for building second or feeder
roads.
Had Mr.. Mackall not developed
an engineering plan by which the
cost of retaining the principal
roads was minimized, can safely
say that Maryland would not hays
the elaborate system Of secondary
roads which it has, he asserted.
Handling Federal ALLEGATIONS for
road construction" he continued,
I've have watched the developmenS
Of systems in all OF the States. ii
is our job to see that we get as many
miles or road out of Federal apprq-
priations as we possibly can.
maryland started its system be-
fore most of the other States though
of it. In 1908, the commission was
formed and took over constructors
and maintenance from the Maryland,
Geological Commission. PlanY FOL
the system were laid out and nAacad
am roads were built.
"These macadr IDS Weaaui
fo,y trafac.
a 3 n ma 4 utomobile Shey de-.
t i,.,i IA ranidlys During the wal
when ii trafic throuSh Maryland war
heaviest. thousands 81 aollals Ms Sa
spent to keep them So franc eou8.
get through.
ssAfter the war Mr.. Mackaii wsE
confronted with very seryou paoaa
lem. His roads had to ben soual''
Had new paving been laid am M
existing road torn UP the cos =
getting them into shape would ha
been at least three times the cost
the plan Mackall worked out.
HE was the man who originateF
he idea of a concrete shoulder
That plan has been adopted In 4
great many States since then. BIZ
laying these concrete shoulders and
resurfacing the old road between
them, Mackall's outstanding achieved
ment was to give the State a conf
plete roads system built from thf
commissions income and in succeed
ing years have enough money tf
build out the feeder lines to connect
the county seats and other communf
tiles throughout the State.
Had he torn up the old roads
started laying entirely new roads,
was done In many other States, id
might not have completed his mail
roads by now. Certainly he would
not have had a secondary system un
less the State of Maryland had beef
willing to assume big bonded in3
debtedness.
An engineer can solve problenl
very easily if he has enough money!
His success as an engineer Is I'd
solve it within the income availableI
I'm his, new roads. mostly seeond !
roads, Mackall built narrow
aid concrete roadway on a
pared base. These crack I'd
and need rebuilding within q I
paratively short time. His
there was to build the road narroD
and, when traffic demanded. lay thd
concrete shoulders and resurface.
This plan made for economy.
"It took a lot of engineering courT
age for Mackall to work out and
decide on that shoulder plan instead
of playing safe and building an EN-
tiraiv raw road We watched thai