No. 5. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



263 



First. Proper drainage. 



Second. Sufficient crown to shed water. 



Third. That the Koad Drag, properly applied, is the most ef- 

 ficient and economical implement with which to maintain a dirt 

 road. 



An expert on modern road construction has given me the follow- 

 ing figures as to original cost and maintenance costs for the types 

 of pavements now being constructed throughout the country, all 

 based on the per mile with a width of sixteen feet. 



INITIAL COST 



Macadam, $8,000 to |11,000. 

 Brick, 115,000 to |18,000. 

 Concrete, |12,000 to $14,000. 



MAINTENANCE 



After 2 years, 10%. 



After 5 years, less than 10%. 



After 5 years, less than 1%. 



With all the experimenting that our State Highway Department 

 has done with macadam, it has been demonstrated that it cannot 

 construct such a road that can be economically maintained. Too 

 long has the State been building such roads at a great cost, and 

 without any provision for their timely maintenance, allowing them 

 to go to rack and ruin. And whoever was responsible for this, was 

 criminally negligent. 



As to the brick method of road construction, we find from a re- 

 port of the Milwaukee County Highway Department, from a sec- 

 tion of the State of Wisconsin where, for a number of years, many 

 different kinds of paving roads have been built, the subject as they 

 are to heavy motor traffic, as well as to a large tonnage carried in 

 horse drawn vehicles, our highways demand a surface which can 

 withstand the greatest amount of abrasion. Water bound macadam, 

 or gravel, is out of the question, brick or macadam foundation is un- 

 satisfactory, and if laid on concrete foundation, becomes too ex- 

 pensive. In similar manner, bituminous macadam, or bituminous 

 concrete, is unable to stand up unless placed on a permanent founda- 

 tion, and the element of cost therefore arises again. 



Also, the other types of block payments are excessive in cost. In 

 sections of our own State where bituminous macadam or bituminous 

 concrete roads have been constructed, it has been found, when built 

 to a width of 16 feet, to be very objectionable from both the stand- 

 point of excessive cost, as well as not being a suitable road for horse 

 drawn traffic, the surface being too smooth and hard so that horses 

 have no footing and are unable to draw more than half a load up 

 any slight grade, frequently slipping and falling down upon stretches 

 that apparently have no grade. A beautiful well built road of bi- 

 tuminous concrete construction situated in the eastern part of the 

 State has become a motor speedway, horse traffic making detour of 

 miles to avoid using it on account of danger of injury to horses by 

 falling. Also, in the same section, a bituminous macadam construc- 

 tion across the South Mountain, the same difficulties have been ex- 

 perienced, horses having no foothold, being unable to draw half the 

 loads as before the road was improved. The complaints against this 

 method of surfacing becoming so numerous that the plans for com- 

 pletion of this road have been changed to a macadam and it has been 

 thus constructed. 



