Constructing Motor Road Surfaces

Progress, Volume X, Issue 1, 1 September 1914, Page 31

Constructing Motor Road Surfaces

The New Plymouth Borough. Council and their Engineer, Mr. S. Skitrop, have for the past fifteen months been experimenting on the construction of a road surface that shall be suitable for motor traffic and at the same time be not too expensive. Success has crowned their efforts, judging from the appearance of the northern portion of Currie Street, which has been treated in a special manner with two coats of soltar and shingle. The street is nicely shaped with an even cambre, the surface is even and smooth, and somewhat resembles rubber; is waterproof, resilient, practically dustproof, and silent. ' It has been laid down 8 months, and carries the heaviest traffic of any street in New Plymouth, leading directly from the railway station to the centre of the town, and does not yet show the slightest sign of wear. The first application of soltar was sprayed into the metal before the blinding was applied, coarse shingle was then spread over the surface and rolled thoroughly hard; the second coat of soltar was then sprayed on the surface and covered with coarse sand and again rolled. The road was open for traffic practically the whole time it was being treated. The thickness of the treated portion is about 2| inches, and is a soltar macadam with a smooth non-slippery surface. The. cost of the two coats, including material and labour, was Is l|d. per square yard. This is a cost that is within the reach of County Councils and small Boroughs, and would be cheaper and would give far better results than the present method of repairing and maintaining roads with broken metal or other stdne, which is continually being washed away by rains and blown away by winds. There is no doubt local bodies will have to face the problem of improved road surfaces to prevent excessive wear and tear partly caused by motor traffic. There are several other portions of street surfaces treated with the same preparation, but not applied in the same manner, and not, in the Engineer's opinion, so successful as the portion referred to, which is certainly a fine piece of street at a reasonable cost.