WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
The construction and maintenance of earth roads cover

The construction and maintenance of earth roads

Chapter 2: Introduction
Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

About This Book

The author argues that practical road improvement must begin with well-built, well-maintained earth roads rather than immediate widespread paving. The bulletin outlines the social and economic benefits of dependable rural highways, calls for public education and staged development, diagnoses causes of deterioration, and offers hands-on guidance for construction, drainage, grading, compaction, and routine upkeep. It cautions that premature adoption of expensive hard surfaces can be unaffordable and counterproductive, and presents properly maintained earth roads as a cost-effective present solution and the necessary foundation for future surfacing and better highways.

Introduction

The Utah Engineering Experiment Station was established by an Act of the State Legislature in March 1909, as a department of the State School of Mines, the engineering college of the University of Utah. The station is authorized “to carry on experiments and investigation, pertaining to any and all questions and problems that admit of laboratory methods of study, and a solution of which would tend to benefit the industrial interests of the State, or would be for the public good.”

Just now in the State of Utah the problem of good roads—how to construct and maintain them—is prominent in the public mind. As a contribution to the discussion of this problem Professor Richard R. Lyman of the Engineering Experiment Station staff offers the subject matter of this bulletin. The publication and distribution of such an article is clearly within the province of the privileges of the station. It is hoped that this contribution will help solve the problem of good roads in Utah.

Bulletin No. 1, now out of print, was on “Tests on Utah Brick,” and No. 2 was on “Tests of Macadam Rock.” The next bulletin to be published will be tests on the cements on the Utah Market. So long as they last bulletins of this Station will be sent free, upon application.

JOSEPH F. MERRILL, Director.

UTAH ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION
State School of Mines, University of Utah
 
BULLETIN NO. 3 JANUARY, 1910