THE ROADING PROBLEM

Shannon News, 4 March 1927, Page 1

THE ROADING PROBLEM

AMERICA FAVOURS CONCRETE. ASPHALT FAILS UNDER HEAVY TRAFFIC. '' We have concrete pavement in the States which was put down twenty' years ago, and which is as good to-day as when it was laid. The United States" tried putting down concrete foundations with sheet-asphalt tops, but we found it would not work oh account of the heavy' weight of motor traffic ia hot weather, which crowed the asphalt and made it wavy and unpleasant to ride on." Such was the answer made to a Press reporter recently by Mr. C. Cape, president of a firm at Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.A., who make street paving a speciality, when asked what was the approved method of road construction in the United States. "We are adopting cement paving mostly," said Mr. Cape. "Practically all the country roads in the thicklypopulated sections are. built of concrete. We construct our roads 20 feet wide ancl 7 inches thick in the centre, with a 2ft strip 9 inches thick on the outside. The roads are parted in the centre with a metal concealed joint, and reiuforced on the side with a metal rod 7-Bths of an inch thick, running the entire length of the road. It costs about 2'dollars-5 cents per square yard to construct these roads, which ordinarily cost 30,0)J dollars per mile, including culvert 3. City Streets. "The city streets," proceeded Mr. Cape, "are built practically the same as our country roads, except that we use a reinforcing mesh, and bituminous joints are placed about every 30 feet. The cost of city streets, including the grading, is about 3 dollars per square yard. The city streets are done with a special machine, which spreads the concrete, tamps it, and completely finishes the work. "The cost of cement is ordinarily 10 dollars per ton f.o.b. cars, and the gravel, sand, and crushed stone costs about 1 dollar 75 cents per cubls yard on cars. Method of Construction. "We have a bin with measuring devices on it a't the railroad track, and unload the sand and gravel into it. We have two compartment trucks, which are driven under the bin, and 2 yards of the material is dumped at once into a truck, which is then driven to tho cars, and seven sacks of cement are dumped into each compartment. The truck is driven to the street where the road work is in progress, and one com; partment at, a time is t dumped into themixture. This is 'mixed for one minute, and deposited on the street, where two men spread it, and tho finishing machine does the rest. The unit to which I have referred can usually construct from 1500 to 2000 yards o: road per day. Roaaing Programmes. "In our State, Wisconsin," proceed od Mr. Cape, "we have a programme now of'soo miles of concrete and 50 miles of gravel roads in progress. Our State is only thickly populated ir parts, and the less densely-popiilatec portions : has to put up with graveller" roads. ■ " "In Illinois, the next State, the;, have a programme of 1000 miles c concrete roads for this year. This State is thickly settled, and they have nothing but concrete roads. Probably the reason that you do not go in more for concrete roads in.this part of th> world is on account of. the cost o' cement. I was surprised to find that cement in Australia cost nearly three times as much as it docs in the States "In our State," he explained, ''th( revenue "for;, road building is dcrivef from" a'petrol'tax of 2 cents per gallon and we collected £4,800,000 in this ta> last year, which only cost 4000 dollar; L o collect, according to the State Treasurer's report. Other revenue /for road construction is derived,' from v license foe of about 20 dollars on pleasure and business cars, and 50 dollars on truck. Our State receives two mil lion dollars the Federal Government each, year for expenditure upon main highways. "Waukegan, a small town of about 20,000 people, put clown a million dollars of concrete paving last year. This will show you that we are satisfied that concrete roads are the best for withstanding heavy modern traffic."