Forest Roads and Trails 87 



The location of a road is more important than that of a 

 trail, because the former demands a gentler gradient and re- 

 quires a greater amount of money in its construction. Since 

 grade is the determining factor in locating roads a transit 

 should be used for that purpose, because of its accuracy. 

 Heavy rock work and the construction of bridges should be 

 avoided on account of the great expense. Side hills are the 

 best for location since they are driest, have the best drainage 

 and tlu- best surface, and require less repairs, although the 

 grading at the beginning will probably cost more. Routes ot 

 avalanches should be avoided, also routes in deep cuts, because 

 the latter will fill up with snow. Switch-backs should not be 

 used, for the sharp turns are not adapted to wagon traffic. 

 The cost of location varies from $5 to $50 per mile. 



The factors which influence the cost of roads do not vary 

 a great deal from those affecting trails. They are O) grade. 

 (2) -width, (3) amount of brushing out, (4) amount of grail 

 ing, (5) drainage, (6) rock work, (7) distance for hauling 

 supplies, (8) cost of labor, and (9) supervision. The steeper 

 the grade the greater the length of the road. As the maximum 

 grade for most roads is from 6 to 7 per cent a steep grade will 

 greatly increase the length of the road. The width of the 

 roa^s varies from 8 to 12 feet for single track roads and 16 to 

 20 feet for double track. The width of the road naturally 

 affecls the amount of brushing out. In heavily timbered lo- 

 calities the clearing is a very expensive item as it is difficult 

 to remove the stumps and to roll the logs out of the way. 

 The amount of grading is a factor which influences the cost, 

 depending on the steepness of the hillside and the number ot 

 stumps to be removed. A road should be so built that it is 

 well drained; side ditches should be put in which have cross 

 drains every 100 to 200 feet. In cheap roads the drains will 

 not be covered, while in well built roads, culverts of rocks or 

 wood should be put in. Rock work cannot be avoided as 

 readily in road as in trail construction and hence adds 

 much to the expense. The supplies will be hauled by wagon 

 which costs only about one-third as much as by pack horses, 

 hence the distance is not as important as in trail work. The 

 cost of labor will affect road building the same as trail work. 

 Supervision again is the most important factor of all. 



