MAINTENANCE OF HIGHWAYS
Proper maintenance of highways is equally important with proper
construction. With nearly all types of road construction, the need for
maintenance arises soon after the surface is placed under traffic and
is continuous thereafter. The nature and amount of maintenance work
varies greatly among the several types of surface and the organization
suitable for a system of highways will depend to a considerable extent
upon the kinds of surfaces that are to be maintained.
The upkeep of a road may be conveniently considered as of two kinds,
viz., (1) that which has to do with the wearing surface and earth
shoulders or berms upon which there is some traffic and (2) that which
has to do with the side ditches and drainage structures and keeping
the roadside in presentable condition. Both kinds of work are usually
carried out by the same organization, but whereas the nature of the
work indicated under (1) will vary with the type of wearing surface
and with all variations in traffic, that which is indicated under (2)
will be nearly constant in any locality.
ORGANIZATION FOR MAINTENANCE
Maintenance of highways is preferably under the administration of the
same authority as construction and when an improvement is undertaken
under the jurisdiction of a State Highway Department, the completed
improvement is ordinarily maintained under the state authority. If
the improvement is made by county authorities, the maintenance is also
carried out under county authority.
The nature of the organization of maintenance forces is dependent upon
the kind of roads to be cared for and must of necessity be varied in
any instance as conditions demand. In general, either maintenance
gangs or patrolmen are employed and often both are used on the same
road system.
=Patrol Maintenance.=--Where this system is in operation, the highway
system is divided into patrol districts of from six to eighteen miles
of highway and a single patrolman is placed in charge of each
district. He is provided with all of the necessary tools and materials
required in his district and performs all of the work required in the
ordinary upkeep of the highway. He should work under the direction of
the county engineer or the district engineer for the state highway
department, because his work involves the use of materials and
processes requiring technical supervision.
=Gang Maintenance.=--The maintenance gang may be employed for some
types of road surface in lieu of the patrolman or with other types of
surface may be employed to supplement the work of the patrolman. The
maintenance gang consists of three to ten men and is furnished all of
the tools and materials required for the particular kind of work they
do. Ordinarily the gang goes over the roads assigned to it once each
season and performs those repair operations requiring more work than
the patrolman can find time for. The work of the maintenance gang like
that of the patrolman should be under engineering supervision.
=Maintenance of Earth, Sand-clay, Gravel and Macadam Roads.=--The
ordinary upkeep of earth, sand-clay, gravel and macadam surfaces is
most readily accomplished by the patrol method, since constant care is
required to keep the roads in a condition of maximum service ability.
The tools required for each patrolman may include the following:
1 shovel 1 spade
1 stone rake 1 pick
1 scythe 1 tamper
1 or more road drags 1 mowing machine for cutting weeds
1 wheelbarrow (sometimes)
1 light truck 1 small kit carpenter's tools
The work of the patrolman consists in keeping the surface of the road
smooth by dragging, repairing chuck holes by tamping in fresh material
of the appropriate kind, keeping the ditches and culverts free from
obstruction, cutting weeds and repairing bridge floors if they are of
plank construction. Removal of snow drifts is sometimes a part of the
patrolman's duty, but more often that is done by special gangs.
Usually the patrolman is authorized to hire teams for dragging and
cutting weeds.
When an earth road requires to be re-graded so as to restore the
cross-section and deepen the ditches, a gang is sent in to perform
that work, as it is obviously impossible for the patrolman to perform
work, of that kind.
If the gravel road is being maintained with a bituminous carpet coat,
the patrolman will be furnished the necessary tools to enable him to
patch the surface with bituminous material as necessity requires.
When the surface deteriorates to such an extent that a new carpet coat
is required, the gang system is employed for all work connected with
resurfacing, instead of attempting to have the work done by patrolmen.
The maintenance of the macadam road is carried out in much the same
manner as that of the gravel road. The binder of stone dust or clayey
sand is renewed as often as it is swept off by traffic. Depressions or
ruts are repaired by first loosening the surface with a pick and then
adding broken stone and screenings to restore the surface.
When the macadam reaches the stage where entire resurfacing is
needed, the work is performed by gangs organized and equipped for the
purpose; and likewise when the surface is being maintained with a
bituminous carpet, the renewal of the carpet coat is performed by
special gangs, but the ordinary upkeep of the surface by patching is
handled by a patrolman.
MAINTENANCE OF MIXED BITUMINOUS SURFACES
[Illustration: Fig. 22.--Scarafier used in Gravel Road Maintenance]
These types of surface can be kept in satisfactory condition if they
are carefully repaired once or twice each season. This work requires
considerable experience and some special equipment, not ordinarily
supplied to patrolmen. A gang is organized for the work and supplied
with the proper equipment. They go over the roads and patch all worn
places, generally first removing the wearing surface entirely in the
area affected.
The wearing surface mixture is then prepared and tamped or rolled into
place. If the area affected is small, tamping is satisfactory, and
when the area is considerable, rolling is employed. The upkeep of the
side roads may be accomplished by the same gang but is preferably
taken care of by patrolmen, who do not attempt any but minor repairs
to the wearing surface.
MAINTENANCE OF BRICK AND CONCRETE ROADS
On brick and concrete roads, the principal work on the wearing surface
consists in filling the cracks with a suitable bituminous material.
This work is done by patrolmen or by special gangs and generally will
be done once each year. The upkeep of the side roads is cared for by
patrolmen who drag the side roads and cut the weeds as occasion
requires.
INDEX
Administration county; 15
federal; 17
highway; 13
state; 16
township; 13
Aesthetics; 62
Aggregate, fine; 101
Aggregate, coarse; 100
Air resistance; 51
Alignment; 46
Applying bituminous binder; 122
Asphaltic concrete; 128
Asphalt, natural; 117
liquid; 118
petroleum; 117
Assessments, special; 19
zone method; 20
Bedding course, green mortar; 111
sand mortar; 111
sand bedding mortar; 111
Binder for gravel; 75
Bitulithic or warrenite; 128
Bitumen; 118
Bituminous coatings on concrete; 105
Bituminous fillers; 112
Bituminous road materials and their use; 116
Bituminous surfaces; 96, 120
Blade grader; 69
Bonding; 87
Bonds, annuity; 26
serial; 27
sinking fund; 25
Box culverts; 39
Brick roads; 113
Brick, repressed; 107
tests of 108;
vertical fiber; 107
vitrified; 106
wire-cut-lug; 108
Broken stone road surfaces; 89
Cement, asphaltic; 118
Cement concrete roads; 98
Cement grout filler; 112
Characteristics, asphaltic concrete; 129
bituminous macadam; 125
broken stone; 97
concrete; 105
mixed macadam; 128
sand clay; 78
Classes of bituminous materials; 116
Classification according to consistency; 117
Clay and cement concrete pipe; 39
Coal tar; 116
Concrete, asphaltic; 128
Concrete materials; 100
Concrete pipe; 39
Control of erosion; 61
Costs; 70
County administration; 15
Cross sections; 60, 65
Culverts; 56
Curing concrete; 103
Design, broken stone roads; 89
concrete roads; 99
earth roads; 42
Desirability of road bonds; 27
Development of traffic; 2
Drainage, necessity of; 29
Drainage of roads; 29
Earth roads, in arid regions; 72
humid regions; 65
value of; 73
Earth works; 92
Education, rural; 6
Effect of grades; 54
Elevating grader; 66
Elevating grader work; 68
End walls for culverts; 39
Energy loss on account of grades; 57
Entrances, farm; 37, 61
Expansion joints; 104
Farm entrance culverts; 37
Federal administration; 17
Fillers; 118
Finance, highway; 19
Fine aggregate; 101
Finishing surface of concrete; 122
Foundation, asphaltic concrete; 129
brick; 109
macadam; 93
mixed macadam; 126
penetration macadam; 123
Telford; 94
Gang maintenance; 131
Grader, Maney; 67
use of; 69
Gravel, ideal; 81
natural; 83
roads; 74
General taxation; 24
Good roads and commerce; 7
Green concrete bedding course; 111
Highway administration; 13
Highway finance; 19
maintenance; 130
Importance of design; 30
Ideal road gravel; 81
Inter-city traffic; 5
Inter-county and inter-state traffic; 5
Internal resistance; 50
Intersections; 46
Laying tile; 35
Length of culvert; 37
Liquid asphalt; 118
Local farm to market traffic; 4
Macadam; 89
Maintenance, concrete; 105
earth roads; 70
general; 131
gravel roads; 88
macadam; 96
of highways; 130
patrol; 131
Maney grader; 67
Marginal curb; 113
Measuring materials; 101
Metal pipe; 38
Mixing wearing surface; 127
Mixtures; 117
Natural asphalt; 117
gravel; 79
Necessity for planning; 42
drainage; 29
Patching; 122, 125
Patrol maintenance; 131
Pebbles, size of; 80
Petroleum asphalt; 117
Placing asphaltic concrete; 129
Placing broken stone; 94
Placing concrete; 102, 103
mixed macadam; 127
Plans for roads; 43
Preliminary investigation; 44
Preparation of earth foundation; 102
of road; 85
Private entrances; 61
Properties of stone; 90
Proportions for concrete roads; 101
Purpose of highways; 1
Reinforced concrete box culverts; 39
Reinforcing; 104
Repressed brick; 107
Road oils; 117
Road plans; 43
Rocks, kind of, for macadam; 91
Rolling, macadam; 95
Rolling resistance; 50
Run-off; 31
Rural education; 6
Rural social life; 7
Safety consideration; 58
Sand bedding course; 111
Sand clay and gravel road; 74
Sand mortar bedding course; 111
Seal coat; 127
Serial bonds; 27
Sinking fund bond; 25
Slip scraper; 67
Special assessments; 19
Specifications; 119
Spreading screenings; 95
State administration; 16
Stone, use of; 92
Surface drainage; 30
Surfaces, bituminous; 120
Surface method; 87
Superelevation; 47
Tests, brick; 108
Tile drains; 35
Topeka asphaltic concrete; 128
Tractive resistance; 52
Trench method; 85
Truck operation costs; 9
Types of culverts; 38
Underground water; 34
Undulating roads; 58
Use of blade grader; 69
Utilizing natural gravels; 83
Value of earth roads; 73
Variation in rainfall; 64
Variation in soils; 63
Vehicle taxes; 24
Vertical fiber brick; 107
Vitrified brick roads; 106
Vitrified brick; 106
Water gas tar; 117
Width of roadway; 59
Wire-cut-lug brick; 108
Zone method of assessing; 20
* * * * *
[Transcriber's Notes:
The transcriber made these changes to the text to correct obvious
errors:
1. p. 5, accomodate --> accommodate
2. p. 39, guage --> gauge
3. p. 46, enbankment --> embankment
4. p. 63, tought --> tough
5. p. 68, absorbant --> absorbent
6. p. 73, persistant --> persistent
7. p. 77, indispensible --> indispensable
8. p. 119, aspealt --> asphalt
9. p. 127, repaid --> rapid
10. p. 130, Vetrified brick; 105 --> Vitrified brick; 106
11. p. 130, Virtical --> Vertical
End of Transcriber's Notes]