332 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ROAD MAINTENANCE. 



E. W. James, Chief. 



The principal operations of this division were conducted nnder 

 projects which are mentioned below in detail : 



OBJECT-LESSON MAINTENANCE ON THE WASHINGTON-ATLANTA HIGHWAY. 



The demonstration maintenance work undertaken on a through 

 route from Washington to Atlanta in the spring of 1914 has been 

 most successfully continued. The total mileage under the super- 

 vision of this office increased from 723.7 to 876.3. The cumulative 

 effect of continuous maintenance has been demonstrated by the fact 

 that from March, 1915, to June 30, 1916, the road had not been closed 

 to traffic at any point, even in the winter months. 



The same organization has been continued, consisting of 3 engi- 

 neers assigned continuously to the work, each one being in charge 

 of approximately one-third of the mileage. The total expenditures 

 in the past year on the Washington-Atlanta Highway have amounted 

 to $120,680.11 for construction and $26,082.56 for maintenance. This 

 is an increase of approximately $15,000 over the preceding year. This 

 demonstration work has been attended with such valuable results 

 in the counties concerned that the methods introduced by the office 

 have been followed on other roads. 



In Wake County the patrol system has been extended to a large 

 mileage of county road, and in Cumberland, Moore, Richmond, Lex- 

 ington, and Clarke Counties the work of maintenance is being 

 extended gradually to a considerable mileage of road adjacent to 

 the Washington -Atlanta Highway. 



MAINTENANCE OF THE CENTRAL HIGHWAY. 



At the request of the State highway commission of North Caro- 

 lina and in cooperation with that commission and the counties through 

 which the Central Highway passes, arrangements were made to begin 

 demonstration maintenance with the opening of the new fiscal year. 

 Necessary preliminary inspections were made and applications 

 secured from those counties having sections in suitable condition for 

 maintenance. It was found impossible to extend the work westward 

 beyond Catawba River, but all of the counties from Morehead City 

 to the Catawba River have agreed to participate in the arrangement, 

 and have allotted approximately $14,900 for maintenance on 338 

 miles of road. The supervision of the Central Highway will require 

 the time of two engineers. 



EXPERIMENTAL MAINTENANCE ON SELECTED ROADS. 



Maintenance of the experimental roads in Montgomery County, Md., 

 on the Rockville Pike, Bradley Lane, Kensington Road, and the Falls 

 Road, has been continued. Normal increase of traffic has so increased 

 the cost of maintenance on these roads that it was considered advis- 

 able to have the county assume some part of the cost of the work. 

 The county commissioners supplied $800 toward the cost of mainte- 

 nance and have agreed to increase this amount to $1,200 for the 

 coming fiscal year. 



Traffic census on these roads has been continued according to the 

 French system and exact cost of maintenance has been kept on the 

 30 experimental sections into which these roads are divided. These 

 data are being collected in their present form for the definite purpose 



