Chapter 22

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

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]