OCR Text |
Show Oiing of Dirt Roads Is Highly Beneficial According to the Bureau of Pub lie Roads, the experience of the Missouri State Highway Department Depart-ment in the treatment of earth roads with oil since 1928 should be of value to other states and communities com-munities interested in low cost improvement im-provement of secondary and feeder roads to main "Tughways. The experiments reveal that the character of oil used must vary with local conditions. Soils which are naturally firm and dry, such as clay, require- only water-proofing witn a relatively light oil. Non-cohesive Non-cohesive soils, such as sand, need application of heavier oils to bind their particlss together. Missouri has found that oil treat ment is especially effective in solving solv-ing the problem of wash and erosion eros-ion in roads built of noncohesive soils. In certain areas, the highway high-way department was facing tho necessity of purchasing additional rights of way in order to obtain earth for replacement of shoulders removed by erosion. Then oil treatment was tried and erosion immediately stopped with a conse-kuent conse-kuent reduction in maintenance costs. uFrthermore, ordinary vehicular ve-hicular traffic is beneficial to the oil surfaces, through a kneading process. It is recommended, however, how-ever, that the use of tractors cn such roads be restricted. Almost any state or county can follow Missouri's lead. Oil treatment treat-ment makes it possible to give rural areas adeauate, weatherproof roads at the lowest possible cost. |