Show Road Maintenance And Repair I There is no phase of the road road problem more important than that hat of maintenance The general general general gen gen- eral impression that there are certain types of roads that are permanent is erroneous No permanent road has ever been constructed or ever will vill be bc according to road specialists road specialists of the he department The only things about a road that may be considered permanent are the grading trading culverts and bridges Roads loads constructed by the mo most t skillful highway engineers will soon be destroyed by the traffic frost rost rain and wind unless they are properly maintained But the he life of these roads may be by systematic maintenance ance A poor road will not only be e improved by proper maintenance main- main but may become better in n time than a good road without it The first and last commandment command- command nent ment in earth road maintenance is s to J keep keen the surface well wen drain- drain pel pd ed To insure rood drainage the ditches should be kept open all an obstruction removed and a smooth crown maintained Except Except Except Ex Ex- Ex- Ex for very stony soil the road rond machine or scraper may mav be used very effectively for this work The he machine should be used once or of twice hIce a year and the work should hould be le done lone when the soil i is lamp damp so o th that t it ir will pack and md I bake into a hard crust Wide and nd shallow side ide ditches should be maintained with Hh sufficient fall faU falland and nd and capa capacity ity to dispose dispo p. p of surface surface sur sur- face water These ditches ditche can cann I In i in n most places Daces be constructed and repaired with a road machine All AU v vegetable matter such as sods and weeds should be kept out of the roid 1011 as they make a spongy surface which retains S moisture Clods are also ob ob- for they turn to dust or mud and for that reason I roads should shoud never be worked when dry or har hard Bowders or loose stones are object object- if a smooth surface is to toe be e secured A split log Jog drag or some simi simi- Jar lar ar device is very verv useful in main main- taming fining the surface after suitable ditches and cross section have once been secured This drag can also be u used ed to advantage on ona ona a gravel grave road road as well as on an L earth road The principle involved involved in in- in- in in dragging dragging- is that clay S and ind most heavy soils will puddle S when wet and set et very verv hard when dry The little attention L that hat the earth road needs must be given promptly and at the S proper time if the best are to be obtained In roads only a small amount of earth is moved lust just enough to fill fiU the ruts and depressions depressions depressions de de- de- de with a thin layer of plastic clay or earth which packs S Svery very hard so that the next rain L instead of finding ruts depressions depress- depress ions inns ons and clods in which to collect runs off leaving the surface but little ittle affected The drag should be light and be drawn over the road at an angle of about 45 degrees The driver should ride on the drag and should nt lIt drive faster than a walk alk One One round trip each trip straddling a wheel track is usually sufficient to fill fiU the rut rute and smooth the surface If necessary the road should be dragged after every bad spell of weather when the soil is in proper prop prop- er condition to puddle well and still not adhere to the drag If the road is very bad it may be dragged when very wet and again when Wilen it begins to dry out A few trips over the road will give five the operator ator an idea as to the best time to drag Drag at ataU atall nil all seasons but do r rot t drag a dry road The slope or crown of an earth road should be about 1 1 inch to the foot If the crown becomes too high it may mav be reduced by drag dragging in toward the ditch in- in tead of from it If the drag cuts too much shorten the hitch and anti change your on the drag If it is necessary to protect protect protect pro pro- the face of the drag with a strip of iron it should be placed flush with the edge edg of the drag and not projecting A cutting edge should be avoided as the main object in dragging ing is is to smear the damp lamp soil into po po- po- po 0 p |