REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC ROADS. 



U. S. Department of AGRicuLTtmE, 



Office of Public Eoads, 

 Washington, D. C, November 4, 191S. 



Sir : I have the honor to submit herewith the report of the Office 

 of Public Roads for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1912, and also 

 an outline of plans for the current year, as well as plans and recom- 

 mendations for 1914. 

 Respectfully, 



L. W. Page, 



Director 

 Hon. James Wilson, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



WORK OF THE YEAR. 



Durinc: the past fiscal year the Office of Public Roads continued 

 to build object-lesson roads and also constructed two experimental 

 roads. In all. it built 722,855 square yards of roadway, which is 

 equivalent to 88 miles of 14-foot road."^ The total cost of all such 

 roads was $91,877. 



Inspection has been made by engineers of the office on 24 of the 

 previously constructed object-lesson roads to determine their con- 

 dition, their maintenance, and the service which they perform. 



The office has supplied advice through its engineers and experts 

 for model systems of roads in 24 different counties. Such work 

 requires an investigation of the entire road situation. All questions 

 concerning existing and proposed locations, materials and methods 

 of construction, maintenance, and administration must be carefully 

 studied. A detailed report containing the findings of the engineer 

 is submitted to the local authorities and must contain all data neces- 

 sary for future road work. 



For the purpose of giving proper advice and instruction on 

 specific road problems 112 assignments of engineers, experts, and 

 chemists were made in 23 States and the District of Columbia. 



Six hundred and sixty-nine samples of road materials were received 

 and tested in the physical, chemical, and petrographic laboratories. 

 These materials included 471 samples of rock and gravel and 198 

 samples of oils, asphalts, tars, and other bituminous materials. 



In addition to the routine testing of road materials the work 

 of testing oil-mixed concrete has been continued. A large number 

 of full-sized arch culvert sections also were tested in order to obtain 

 data of value in their design. Research work on the expansion and 



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