MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



WAYNE COUNTY 



BUILDING FOR FUTURE 



Edward X. Hines, a member of the Wayne 

 County Road Commission, was one of the 

 .-pcakers at the National Convict Labor Good 

 Roads A-.-ciation held at Grand Rapids in 

 July. Mr. Hines discussed the "County Road 

 System in \Vayne." 



A constant struggle, a ceaseless battle to 

 bring success from inhospitable surroundings, 

 is the price of all great achievements, and I 

 ler it a great achievement to give any 

 community a decent system in improving and 

 caring for their public roads. The county 

 road law and the good roads agitation in Mich- 

 igan had its inception in \Yayne count}', but 

 it was not until the fall of 1906 that the adop- 

 f the county road system was submitted 

 to the people of Wayne county and was car- 

 ried by a vote of :>'.i.H7i to 7,188, every precinct 

 in Detroit and every township in the county 

 but four giving the proposition a handsome 

 majority. 



After describing the difficulties encountered 

 in getting the commision into working order, 

 because of legal technicalities, Mr. Hines de- 

 scribed the work undertaken for this year, 

 involving an expenditure of $70,000. The roads 

 being improved are Grand River avenue, Mich- 

 igan avenue. Gratiot avenue, Fort street, Mt. 

 Elliott avenue, River road. Jefferson avenue 

 and Mack avenue. In all cases except Michi- 

 gan avenue, which is being paver with brick, 

 the roads being built are of a tar macadam 

 construction. The board has formulated an 

 outline of policy to cover a period of years, 

 and this policy, if steadily pursued, will result 

 in permanent and dustless roads. All bridges 

 to be constructed will be either steel or rein- 

 forced concrete; all culverts will be concrete, 

 a uniform width of 15 to 16 feet, with 4-foot 

 shoulders on each side, has been adopted as a 

 standard, and provision made for eventually 

 planting trees by the roadside at uniform dis- 

 tances, which will act as a protection to our 

 roads in addition to beautifying and giving 

 them a continuous avenue effect. The dust 

 nuisance will be entirely overcome by the tar 

 veneer, as well as adding to the durability of 

 the work, and section men will travel the road 

 daily, cleaning out ditches and culverts, re- 

 pairing small holes that may develop, and we 

 hope to have a model system in Wayne 

 County. 



Mr. Hines gave a section of the specifica- 

 tions used relating to the stone and the tar 

 veneer. Both are a little different in some re- 

 spects to the usual specification, and in these 

 differences the commission thinks it has made 

 a decided improvement. 



MACADAM, FIRST COURSE. 



After the road has been graded and rolled, 

 a layer of crushed stone shall be spread on 

 the prepared bed to such uniform thickness 

 as to comprise six inches of loose stone, and 

 when compacted by thorough rolling shall be 

 not less than 4J/ inches thick. 



Stone for this course shall be of a suitable 

 grade of crushed limestone, and shall consist 

 only of that part of the crusher product pass- 

 ing over the one-inch section and through the 

 three-inch section of the crusher screen. This 

 stone shall be placed on the road uniformly 

 mixed, no patches of alternately large and 

 small stone being allowed. The contractor 

 shall employ such methods of spreading as 

 will produce these results. 



Wooden blocks, or forms, the thickness of 

 the layer, or such other appliances as may be 

 approved by the engineer, shall be used at a 

 distance of not greater than 12 feet apart to 

 insure the required depth of the course. 



The road metal shall be rolled a sufficient 

 number of times with a ten-ton roller to thor- 

 oughly compact it. Xo soft or disintegrated 



stone will be allowed or used. All stone shall 

 be weighed. If shipped in cars the shipping 

 weights will be accepted. If local stone, or 

 not shipped by rail, the contractor will fur- 

 nish the scales, and the board will furnish a 

 sworn weigher, who will be appointed and 

 compensated by them. 



BIXDER FOR FIRST COURSE. 



This shall consist of limestone screenings 

 ranging in size from l / inch to $4 inch, which 

 shall be uniformly spread on the layer of 

 crushed stone Y\ of an inch thick, and the 

 whole thoroughly rolled. The amount of 

 screenings used shall be somewhat less than 

 enough to fill the voids in the coarser stones. 

 .Water may be applied in advance of the roller, 

 after the binder is added, if ordered by the of- 

 ficer in charge, but it should be used sparingly 

 on clay subgrades. 



The rolling must be continued until the 

 binder is worked into the crevices of the larger 

 stones, and the stone cease to sink or creep 

 beneath the roller. If any depressions are 

 formed when rolling, they shall be filled with 

 the smaller stones of suitable grade, and not 

 with screenings. 



MACADAM, SECOXD COURSE. 



After the ficst course of macadam has been 

 finished, the second layer, consisting of loose 

 stone (crushed granite, field cobbles or trap 

 rock) of such uniform thickness as to be not 

 'ian 4 inches deep, shall be added; same 

 to be thoroughly mixed and properly meas- 

 ured by using blocks or forms to measure the 

 exact depth, and when rolled thoroughly it 

 shall be not less than 3 inches thick, and shall 

 be only of the crusher product passing over 

 the J-inch and through the 2-inch section of 

 the crusher screen. 



The stone shall be placed upon the road anil 

 spread and rolled in exactly the same manner 

 j as prescribed for the first course. 



: BIXDER FOR SECOXD COURSE. 



This shall consist of equal parts of lime- 



: stone screenings, as specified for first course, 

 and cobblestone screenings that pass through 

 a ^J-inch hole, with the dust left in; the two 

 parts to be thoroughly mixed and spread to a 

 depth of y\ of an inch over the second course. 

 It shall be sprinkled and rolled a sufficient 

 number of times to thoroughly compact it. 

 The road shall be kept closed so as to be free 

 from dirt and foreign matter, and no travel 

 allowed on it until after the third course is 

 c< >mpleted. 



of the work is satisfied that a sufficient amount 

 of rolling has been done. 



SPECl'AL REQUIREMEXTS. 



Xo water gas tar will be allowed to be used. 

 Xothing but pure coal gas tar shall be used 

 in the work. 



Xo application of tar will be allowed on the 

 road except when the road is perfectly dry. 



Xo application of coal tar will be allowed 

 except on a dry, hot day, so that the road will 

 be in a receptive condition to receive the tar. 



Xo application of coal tar will be allowed 

 to be placed on the road until at least 24 

 hours after any storm. Xor will any coal tar 

 be allowed to be applied on the road until 

 the dew has thoroughly evaporated from the 

 road. 



In other words, the road must be thorough- 

 ly dry and free from moisture, and the day 

 must be hot, so that the road will receive the 

 full benefit of the sun. The road must be 

 ! thoroughly cleaned, so as to be free from all 

 I loose material. The contractor, after the 

 | stone and coat of tar have been applied, and 

 I the road has been rolled, shall keep the road 

 I closed for 24 hours before allowing travel 

 j thereon. 



All work shall be done in a thoroughly 

 workmanlike manner, and all material shall 

 be first-class, and, as specified, all tools and 

 appliances shall be thoroughly up to date, so 

 as to insure first-class work. 



This tar veneer course is no experiment, 



! and wherever used has been found to be a 



i first-class dust layer, in addition to making a 



i road absolutely waterproof and preventing 



raveling by automobile traffic. 



TAR ADOPTED AT MENOMINEE. 



The beginning of a street improvement 

 campaign of no little importance was started 

 ; on south State street in Menominee when a 

 . crew of city workmen began coating the pave- 

 , ment surface with tar. The roadway was 

 . cleared of dust, after which the tar was poured 

 over it to a thickness of a quarter of an inch. 

 I The street was closed to traffic until the tar 

 i had penetrated the pavement. The system is 

 I the same as was tried on north . State street 

 i last year with great success. This thorough- 

 i fare is now as smooth as asphalt, will not re- 

 tain water and is free from dust. The test is 

 regarded as having been highly successful, 

 i and the officials will follow up the work on 

 south State street with a similar treatment to 

 every macadam thoroughfare in the city as 

 well as to every new street constructed. 



MACADAM. THIRD COURSE. 



After the binder applied to the second course 

 has been thoroughly sprinkled and rolled to j 

 the satisfaction of the engineer, and had time 

 to completely dry. as hereinafter specified, the j 

 tnr top will be applied. The material with 

 which this application is to be made shall be j 

 pure coal tar which has been heated to a tem- 

 perature of 225 deg. F. When the required ; 

 temperature is obtained the coal tar shall be 

 flooded on the road and broomed in with split 

 rattan brooms. After this first coat of tar has 

 become absorbed into the road, a second ap- 

 plication of coal tar, heated to the same tem- 

 perature as the first coat, shall be made in the ! 

 same way, and broomed in so that all inter- 

 stices and voids will be completely filled. 



Following closely on this second application \ 

 of coal tar, the contractor shall furnish and 

 supply a treatment of chips or splinters of 

 1 cobble or granite stone. These chips or splin- 

 ters shall range in dimensions from 1/2 to J4 , 

 inch longest diameter. The covering or wear- 

 ing surface shall be applied while the second 

 coat of tar is hot. and shall be of a uniform 

 depth of not less than one inch. Immediately 

 after this course has been applied uniformly 

 over the entire travel path, and on top of the : 

 second coat of coal tar. the roller shall be 

 run over this course of stone a sufficient num- 

 ber of times to thoroughly imbed this stone! 

 in the last coat of coal tar. and the rolling j 

 shall be continued until the inspector in charge 



SETS GOOD EXAMPLE. 

 Waterford and Pontiac Townships, Oakland 

 County, are planning to improve the piece of 

 highway known as the "Terry Crossway," 

 two miles north of Pontiac on the turnpike. 

 While this piece of highway to be graded lies 

 in Pontiac Township, the township board of 

 \\ aterford has been instrumental in bringing 

 the work under way and has agreed to go out- 

 side the limits of the township to aid in im- 

 proving this main road into Pontiac. 



GOOD ROADS FOR CALHOUN. 



An organization of Calhoun county, under 

 the direction of Secretary Gibson, of the 

 Battle Creek Industrial Association, will be 

 formed to secure state aid for the construc- 

 tion of good roads on all the leading high- 

 ways of Calhoun county. Eight townships of 

 the county have sent in petitions, signed by 

 10 freeholders of each township, to the Asso- 

 ciation, asking that the "county good roads" 

 question be put to a vote in Calhoun county. 

 That this system of improving the public high- 

 ways is becoming popular throughout the 

 state is evident from the fact that it has been 

 adopted in 26 counties up to the present time. 



The Cheboj-gan County road commissioners 

 have let the contract to Bert Jewett to build 

 a gravel road of what is known as the "Indian 

 Trail" from George Wheelock's farm to Scott's 

 corners, one mile and a half. 



