Page:California Highways and Public Works Journal Vols 8-9.djvu/36

 

OW-COST METHODS of oil-treating hundreds of thousands of miles of gravel, sand-clay and topsoil highways in the United States are greatly needed. H. S. Fairbank, engineer of the Bureau of Public Roads, Department of Agriculture, stated October 30 in announcing that a detailed study of this problem would be inaugurated by the bureau.

In explaining highway needs before the recent asphalt paving conference at West Baden, Ind., Mr. Fairbank said that traffic on thousands of miles of dirt roads was such as to require a smooth, dustless surface, but was not great enough to warrant cementing or other costly systems of hard surfacing.

His discussion of research work to be conducted by the bureau is reported by the United States Daily as follows:

A joint technical committee created in March and representing the asphalt industry and the bureau proposes to make a detailed study of the results of the methods of bituminous treatment developed in many parts of the country, to study the efficacy of the methods of applying and mixing asphalt and aggregates, to analyze the asphaltic materials actually used in work done to date and all available materials which might be used, and to build and study experimental roads of various types. Some of this work has been under way for some time.

A detailed analysis of the methods, materials, cost, and service of the various types of low-cost surfaces thus far developed in various localities will be made. Among the types to be studied are the sand-clay and topsoil surface treatments in the southeastern states; sand-asphalt surfaces in Massachusetts, North Carolina, and other states; bituminous treatments of clay roads in Illinois, and elsewhere; the retreated method of Indiana and somewhat similar treatment of stone roads in other states; the so-called blotter treatment of gravel roads in Minnesota and adjacent states; oiled sand roads in California. Nebraska, Nevada, and elsewhere; and in the mixed-in-place treatment of fine-crushed rock and gravel surfaces, which has reached its highest development in the western states.

Studies have already been made of surfacing treatments of sand-clay and topsoil in Florida and South Carolina, and also of oil treatments of clay roads in Illinois and of the retreated method in Indiana. The data gathered by engineers of the bureau, the asphalt industry, and the respective states, are being analyzed and reports on the three types will be published shortly.

Studies of the efficiency of construction methods and equipment are being conducted by the bureau with the advice and assistance of the asphalt industry. These studies are similar to those previously made by the bureau in grading and concrete and bituminous pavement construction.

The study and analysis of the available bituminous materials is the particular responsibility of the industry, under the plan of cooperation that has been agreed upon.

The construction and study of experimental roads has been started and will he actively prosecuted, mainly by the Bureau of Public Roads, in cooperation with several of the state highway departments, but always with the active assistance and advice of representatives of the asphalt industry.

THREE EXPERIMENTS IN PROGRESS Three experiments are now in progress. One is the continuation of surface treatments of topsoil in South Carolina; another is a series of experiments in California involving the treatment of fine-crushed rock and gravel surfaces with several types of bituminous materials by surface treatment and mixing in place; the third is a series of experiments in the treatment of sandy soil in the sand-hill section of Nebraska with various asphaltic materials.

There is today a need for low-cost methods of improving hundreds of thousands of miles of highways in the country, consisting of gravel, sand-clay, and topsoil and graded and drained earth roads. The traffic on these roads is such as to require a smooth, dustless year-round surface, but not great enough to justify the costlier high-type surfaces.

DUST NUISANCE COMBATED About six years ago the bureau first became interested in the development of low-cost surfacings, using bituminous materials to lay the dust and reduce the loss of surfacing material. At that time, increase in traffic on the forest roads, which had been constructed under supervision of the bureau, gave rise to a dust nuisance and loss of surfacing material. The forest roads had a surfacing of finely crushed rock or gravel, which had been adequate for traffic up to that time.

A similar type of surface had been adopted by a number of the western states and a rather considerable mileage had been built. Oregon and California took the lead in the experimental use of petroleum oils by various methods. Later the bureau joined with the California highway department in an investigation of the various methods that had been tried with a view to ascertaining what methods or combination of methods and materials would afford the greatest relief. At about the same time the bureau was cooperating with the highway commission of South Carolina in similar experiments of topsoil roads.

 “A task without a vision is drudgery, A vision without a task is a dream. But a task with a vision is the hope of the world.”—Cornelia Adair

BUT NOT OLD CARS Our house contained some furniture That we had thought were freaks; An antique dealer came along, And said they were antiques. And for a chair and an old settee He paid a sum that staggered me. I said: “This system's very fine— It ought to work on cars; My bus is old and very rare— I'll take it down to Starr’s”; The sum he offered was immense. It staggered me—’twas thirty cents. —Georgia Highways

“I can’t marry you,” said the justice of the peace to the nervous bridegroom. “If this girl is only seventeen you will have to get her father’s consent.” “Consent!” yelled the groom. “Say, who do you think this old guy with the rifle is, Daniel Boone?”

People differ on all the essentials to success except one, and on that one they all agree—it is HARD WORK.