Public Roads: Their Construction and Maintenance, Also, the Effect of Automobile Traffic on Them

Abstract

Perhaps never before has there been such concerted and well directed action by the people of our country in the interests od better roads than there has been within the past year or two . The advent of tlie motor car may be credited with a large part of this interest, for motor cars need good roads to travel over and at the same time are a serious detriment to good roads already in existence. Individual States have taken up the policy of the National Government in building roads and many miles of first class roads are building at the present time. The Great "National Highway" which was christened last fall by a parade of about sixty automobiles travelling from New York City to Atlanta was a forerunner of the movement for good roads which will soon be started throughout the South. These automobilists made permanent record of the condition of the roads passed over and gave out a statement as to which portions were best for travel. This will put the different states in a position of friendly rivalry and good roads are bound to be the result of the movement. It is quite natural and to be.expected that different sections of a country would be better fitted to build different kinds of roads. It shall be the purpose of this paper to give a brief outline of several kinds of roads, their construction and maintainence on the most economical basis, and finally to cite some of the injurious effects of motor cars and the possible methodd of overcoming them. [From introductory section]