CONCRETE FOR ROADS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19390, 27 July 1926, Page 12

CONCRETE FOR ROADS.

PROGRESS IN AMERICA.

TOTAL OF 44,000 MILES.

At the present time it is estimated that in the United States there are no fewer than 44,000 miles of concrete roads, as against' only 300 miles in the United Kingdom. Several comments from, various sources serve to throw some light ,on this great disparity in the proportion. In the first place the development of highways had proceeded in Britain prior to the introduction of railways and considerable attention has been paid to their improvement and maintenance, and thus there was not quite the same necessity for the laying down of concrete roads when this system, of road construction came into- vogue. In vast areas of America, on the other hand, practically the first means of transport was the railway, and much less attention had been paid to road development. With the popularity of the motor vehicle, however, there arose an urgent need for road construction to accommodate the autos which are now registered in that country, and the annual increase, which is set at 14 per cent. This accounts for the greaer progress m- concrete road construction in the United States than in .Britain. ■.

While the first cost of concrete roads is high, the maintenance cost is low, and they have proved particularly suitable for motor traffic. According to tests made by the Ford Company with a number of lorries ; these vehicles ran 11.78 miles per gallon on concrete surfaces, 9.48 on bituminised macadam and only 5.78 on an earth road. The experience already gained with this type, of road construction in Britain,-savs the Daily Telegraph, will , without doubt lead to an important development in its use.