STREET IMPROVEMENTS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4800, 21 January 1925, Page 2

STREET IMPROVEMENTS.

BITUMEN PENETRATION WORK. 1 ■ THE SPRAYER IN ACTION. r The Week.es bitumen sprayer was brought into use on Willoughby Street south for the first time on Monday afternoon, and an interested knot people, including the Mayor (Mr ,W. ; Marshall), assembled to see the machine in operation. The outstanding feature of this ma- - chine is the rapidity and ease with which it is worked, together with the | great saving in time an finance that > will be made in street improvement work in the borough in the future.There are some -people who are still , rather sceptical as to the ultimate success and lasting qualities of a road constructed by the bitumen, penetration system. This proecss pf roadmaking lias long since passed its experimental stages, and a proof of the permanency of the work is fairly ev*- — denced in Belmont Road, which, was constructed in a similar manner some nine years ago and is still in fair order, despite the fact of the enormous . amount of heavy traffic it ijs called upon to bear. Since this street was laid down in bitumen the maintenance of it has amounted to very,little,... and with judicious patching it will last for many years yet, although the ; metal used in the construction ;Was not of uniform and first-grade quality. ; The chief object of the Mayor in the matter of street construction is to do the work in a permanent manner, and so that it will at least outlive the.' period of the loan money and need aminimum amount expended on maintenance during that period. The borough is now in possession’ of a very complete plg-nt for street, work, nad the recently purchased steam roller is being made good use - of. The materials used on the Willoughby and Russell streets job are ofthe best quality obtainable, and everv effort is being made to ensure a sai- s isfactory result There is only a limited amount of loan money available at present for •„ street improvements, and there ap- , pears to be no doubt that money. being spent to the best possible ad- - vantage. Considering the ‘ financial" position, it has not been practicable to carry out formation work for tne full width on the subsidiary streets, and under the circumstances : the council is to be commended on adopting, the policy of laying down a bitumen strip ten feet wide. By pursuing this course the ratepayers will re- a ceive a thoroughly good road,' and. w’hen by growth of traffic and increas- _ ed population it is found necessary to form the road to a chain in width the . . extra widening can be undertaken without disturbing the original strip. A visit to the scene of operations in Willoughby and Russell streets proves quite interesting. The bitumen heater somewhat resembles an ’ Army kitchen, and what it lacks in beauty it makes up in utilitarian purposes. The bitumen container is fill-. ed with bitumen, which is cut out of .. casks in solid lumps. Under the heater is a fire, which melts the bitumen and keeps it at a temperature of between 350 and 400 degrees. The tempeiature required for spraying is from 350 to 37'5 degrees, the extra heating being given to allow’ for Kfall in temperature, during transit from the heater to the sprayer. An air pump on the side of the machine is worked by hand, and at the back is - a small wheel. Half a turn of this wheel to its full capacity the bitumen of 251 b, to blow through a pipe with ; a nozzle at one end, opposite which »s a cone for. causing the stream’ of bitu’men tc spray out. By turning'the w'heelt o its full capacity the. bitumen ; is forcejl through the pipe by air and is sprayed over the metal of the road- ;■ way. The machine has a capacity o' 320 gallons, and it is estimated to spiay 3*2 chains to the full container. The work of spraying on Monday on the 10ft roadway averaged about two' - chains an hour. As soon as the bitu- ■ men its sprayed on to the metal a coating of chips is spread over- it then rolled. The workmen are workIng at full pressure,-as this class oU construction can only be carried ottt-/ in fine weather. -