BEGINNING TO WEAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 138, 12 June 1926, Page 11

BEGINNING TO WEAR.

AUCKLAND'S CONCRETE ROADS HOW TO PREVENT IT. SERIOUS PROBLEM PRESENTED. Some of the concrete roads of Auckland are-showing signs of wear, and tho question has been raised: How is this to be combated? Local engineers, and also those from other parts, have been much interested in the city's scheme of concrete roading. and this has meant that the Auckland roads have been carefully watched under the test of traffic. "The wearing is considerable on the older roads, and will have to be combated," remarked Mr. A. J. Paterson, city engineer, of Wellington, on a visit to Auckland this week. Continuing,, he explained that this was a serious problem, because the pavements were high in relation to the tram Kills and the kerbs, and any raising of the level of the road by putting a protecting carpet on top of the concrete would mean that the tram tracks would require to be raised, as well, to prevent them becoming flooded during rain. Mr. Paterson exlained that various of the later methods of the United States were being adopted to prevent any failures, but even those could not prevent surface wearing. It was-, therefore, necessary to pay attention to the surface as well, and several methods were now being tried to save the surfaces, or, what amounted to the same thing, to retain the full depth of the pavement. "It would be advisable," he said, "to make experiments in the very near future, so that the roads at present being laid can be efficiently covered in three or four years' time, when the wearing begins to .be noticeable." Two Courses Open. In an address to the Chamber of Commerce last January, Mr. W. E. Bush (City Engineer) said there were two courses open in maintaining concrete roads. One was to allow the wear to take place, provided it was of an even character, until it was sufficient to enable a minimum thickness of 21 inches of concrete to be super-imposed? upon that remaining; the other was to cover the concrete, when wear began to show itself, with a brush coat or, thin carpet of material, easily applied and at, a comparatively low cost. As regards the former, the wear of the concrete pavements laid in Auckland had not so far necessitated this course being followed, although repairs had been done, to replace trenches in the pavement or to remedy some defect in local patches which were due either to the inferiority of the materials used or the mixing and placing of the concrete. The alternative method of protecting concrete pavements with a brush coat of asphalt had also been carried out in Auckland, but the results obtained were not uniform and much remained to be learned before a uniform practice could be adopted. . ' "The greatest return of all from concrete paving," said Mr. Bush, on that occasion, "is the deep satisfaction is gives to everybody."