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PROGRESS MADE EACH YEAR. Twenty-four Hundred Miles of Road Already Laid Out—Gravel Generally Used For Surfacing—How the Work Is Done. Paul D. Sargent, state highway com missioner of Maine, in a recent ad dress before the good roads and legis lative convention of the Automobile club of Springfield, Mass., spoke #8 follows about road work in Maine. The construction of state roads in Maine presents a little different prob lem from that in any other of the New England states. This is partly on ac count of our large area which is sparse ly settled and our low valuation For 4 MAINE ROAD. [A thin deposit of gravel, used in road Le is exposed In the ditch on the left example, our area is within 300 square miles of equaling that of all the other New England states. Our population is about 50 per cent more than that of the city of Boston and our valuation about one-tenth that of Massachusetts. In the matter of valuations I might say that we have only sixty-three cities and towns in the state which have a valuation of $1,000,000. We have 222 towns with a valuation less than $250, 000 each, and three-fourths of all our towns are less than $500,000 in valua ion. In many of our towns, especially the smaller ones, highway taxes alone run from 1 to 3 cents, so you see when these towns make appropriations for good roads they are really struggling to improve their condition. We have, however, made a start in the matter of state road building and are making progress every year. In 1001 0 state road law was passed which was general to its application— that is, It provided that every town in the state might have state aid in com plying with certain conditions. The amount which any town could expend under this original law was only $200 per year, and the maximum state aid allowed an account of such expendi ture was $100. Succeeding legislatures raised the amount until at present $690 is the maximum amount a town may expend and be reimbursed by the state for half its expenditure. The first year of the low only twelve towns took advantage of Its provisions, while last year, the sixth year of its operation, 322 towns built their state raids and received state aid. This year 356 towns are building sections of state road. Our law provides that when a town makes appropriation and declares its intention to build state road the county commissioners shall designate in that | town the main traveled thoroughfare, which shall thereafter be known as the state road, and that said appropriation shall be expended in improving some section of this road. Under this pro vision for designating state roads about 2,400 miles of road have already been laid out. . Up to the close of last year about £ 450,000 has been expended by the towns and the state In this reconstruc tion work, and nearly 300 miles of road had been worked upon. The work consists mainly In cutting down excessive grades, raising roads in swamps and low places, straightening crooked roads, taking out sharp curves and underdraining quagmires. In general our surfacing material consists of gravel, but In many cases only the natural soil is used for this purpose, especially if gravel cannot be obtained within two miles of the loca ton of the work. Probably in forty towns In the state the surfacing mate rial is crushed stone. The work up to the present time has been under the direct supervision of the various boards of county commis sioners. As the law provides for in spection of the work after it is com pleted and the commissioners have not in general insisted on one standard of work, there have been quite a good many variations In the completed roads, but progress is being made each year, and we are gradually approach ing something in the line of uniform ity. The standard which we ask to have maintained is for a road twenty one feet wide which shall have at least twelve feet of hardened track, with earth shoulders to make up the remaining width. Our general specification is for sur facing material to be eight inches thick on the center and six Inches thick on the shoulders, to be screened into sizes and deposift’d on layers and rolled wherever possible. We find that such work where Its carefully and well done averages In cost from 35 to 50 cents per linear foot, GOOD ROADS APOSTLE. Shakes Thatcher Advocates Highway From Ocean to Ocean, Preaching the gospel of good roads. Charles Thatcher, « resident of Wheel ing, W. Va. is now traveling from city to city endeavoring to Interest the citizens of the nation on permanent highways and primarily one or were great arteries for vehicle travel from ocean to ocean, says no Bloomington (IH) correspondent of the Chicago In ter Ocean. While he was in Blooming ton his curbstone talks to the audi ences, attracted by the onlqne outfit accompanying him, were marked by earnestness and enthusiasm. He is not working any grafting or advertis ng dodge. No one is asked for mon ey, and he has nothing to sell. For this reason he is attracting attention and is winning supporters in his move ment. After a residence of some years In the far west he became imbued with — the Mea that the absence of good latter and that the possession of good ‘
Newspaper Details
Leakesville Greene County Herald
Leakesville, Mississippi, US
Fri, Apr 24, 1908
Page 4
Full Page
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USA 17 Feb 2026
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Leakesville Greene County Herald
