THE MODERN ROAD

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 121, 15 February 1919, Page 11

THE MODERN ROAD

, LESSONS FROM AMERICA. Good roads are a feature of the American cities, according to Mr. J. W.Marchbanks; engineer to the Wellington Harbour Board. Mr. Marchbanks paid attention to this subject during his recent visit to the United States, and lie was much impressed by the efforts the Americans t,avo made to c.reato roads that will carry heavy traffic with a maximum. of ease "and a minimum of wear and tear. The best of the American roads, says Mr. Marchbanks, appear to have a concrete base, carefully laid down, with a covering of three inches of asphalt. Natural asphalt, or bitumen, is used, and not tar. , In some cases the bft;o is put down in two coats, with''a fino wearing surface on top. The wearing surface is sometimes of asphaltio concrete, two or three inches thick, with a base of concrete. The asphalt wearing surface is the smoother and gives the finer appearance, but the asphaltio concrete gives the better grip for 'horses and motors. The smooth and fast concrete roads are not without their disadvantages. They are slippery in wet and frosty wea-» ther, and the municipal authorities in the American cities find it necessary to put down sand at such times. The roads have to be kept very clean. Some of tha cities have used vitrified brick for thcj.r roads. This material, says Mr. Marchbanks, gives very good results. At Seattle he saw somo pavement of vitrified brick said to have bsen put down twenty years ago, and which was still in fairly good order. Ho saw at Buffalo asphalt that had been down for twenty years. The city of Buffalo has 280, miles of .asphalt roads, 27 miles of 6tono set roads, 45 miles of other good roads,, and only 14 miles of macadam. Tho macadam road, in fact, is regarded there as a poor road. Neitrly all the American towns have now a proportion of asphalt streets.