ARTERIES OF PROGRESS

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 48, 20 November 1925, Page 5

ARTERIES OF PROGRESS

FROM PACK-TRACK TO BITUMEN SURFACE

’ THE DOMINION’S BID FOR BETTER HIGHWAYS

HE history of New Zealand’s rapid development is revealed in the evolution of its highways, from the pioneer’s packtrack to the metalled roadway, and finally to the latest development in bituminised concrete pavements, which are to-day the finest roads procurable. It is but a lew years ago that the cry of the settler was for a road that would carry the load of an occasional dray during the working days, and a lighter vehicle during the week-ends. The demand was not so much for a good surfaced road as a clearing wide enough to allow a four-wheeled vehicle to pass. Less than ten years ago, even the main thoroughfares in many of our important towns were little better than a sea of mud in wet weather. To-day, all that has changed, and the makeshift ways of other days have given way to the modern pavements that meet the greater demands of heavier and different traffic. i The advent of the motor vehicle has made necessary a complete change in the roading policies of the world. What was good enough in the old days, has been found totally unsuitable for the requirements of speedy transportation. Many diff-, erent materials and treatments have been experimented with in different countries, but it is safe to say that bituminised concrete has proved not only the best surface, but the most economical in upkeep. The British Ministry of Transport, which has made a transformation in the arterial roadways of Great Britain, has found that bitumen stands up to the requirements of exceptionally heavy and speedy traffic. It has also found that bitumen may be laid in different thicknesses to supply the needs of both the primary and secondary thoroughfares. The result is not only a beautiful and even surface, but a decidedly economical one, as the maintenance charges over the life of the road have been proved to be exceptionally light. > It is only since the war that New Zealand has gone thoroughly and scientifically into the all-important matter of road construction, and since the inception of the Main Highways Board and subsidiary bodies, a marked improvement has been made in the roads of the Dominion. The Wellington City Council has proved that bitumen is the ideal material for city and suburban roads, and one plant after another has been added, until the combined Wellington plants are second to none. results of the councils efforts are reflected in the many excellent streets that are to be seen in and around the city. Other local bodies throughout New Zealand are also linking up with the universal scheme of road improvement, and the “hot mix” bitumen road is the one generally specified. , While the general public sees only the effect of this new scheme of things, a great amount of complicated work has to be done before the material can *be placed upon the streets, that transforms them from a series of pot-holes to a glass-like It is the object of this article to acquaint the reader with the intricate process that goes on "behind the scenes/’ j