Show EXCESS WATER HURTS ROADS cold weather doss does not cause injury no matter whether road Is earth gravel of macadam water not cold is the cause of the deterioration d of roads in winter cald weather veather does not in itself injure roads no matter whether they ale aie earth gravel rivel or macadam in fact an earth road ro ad will stand more traffic when it Is solidly frozen than at any other time excess water however Is always detrimental tri mental to a highway when cold weather turns tills this water into ice the damage that it does is greatly increased ice occupies considerably more space than the water from which it is formed and every person who inho lias has lived in a cold climate is familiar with the powerful bursting effect of water when left to freeze in a confined vessel the same action takes place when a wet net road freezes to any considerable depth it simply bursts or as we generally term it in road parlance the road heaves later when the frost leaves the road is disinter grated and ruts badly if this process is repeated a number of times during the winter a gravel or macadam road may be practically destroyed while an earth road may become entirely impassable A dry road will nill not heave rock gravel sand and even clay when perfectly dry contract slightly on freez Well DraIned road in ing in order to expand on freez freezing freezon ln ali these ese materials must contain or be mixed with water and the more water they contain the greater tile expansion which takes place but so long as the road remains frozen the damage does not become apparent hence the frequent and erroneous idea that it is the thaw which injures the road the injury was done when the water in the road froze and the particles of the road surf surface nee broken stone sand still fine particles of earth or clay were pushed apart by the expanding g power of the freezing water the thaw merely allows the ice to melt and assume its original volume as water the remedy is self evident keep the water out of the road the time to begin preventive Inea measures is before the rains begin it if the road goes into the v winter inter thoroughly dry with the surface and drainage in good condition the chances are favorable eliat it will come out all right the following spring |