MODERN ROADS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17216, 6 December 1923, Page 7

MODERN ROADS.

MEETING MOTOR NEEDS. WHAT AUSTRALIA IS DOING Visions of Christchurch minus dust (even on nor-’west days) and of motorcars gliding over smoothly surfaced roads without a jolt or sway are inspired by the picture which Mr E. Parker gives of the effects of modern road construction methods. Mr Parker, who is managing director of Australian Roads, Ltd., and who has had considerable experience of road construction work in America, is at present in Christchurch, in the' course of a Dominion tour which lie is making with a view to gaining a- first-hand knowledge of the road problems and needs of New Zealand. For about twenty years Mr Parker was associated in the United States with the Warring Bros. Company, probably tho largest road-build ing concern in America. About two years ago ho organised Australian Roads, Ltd., and this company has been laying pavements under the Warring system in Australia. About 250.000 square yards of this type of road are at present under construction in Sydney and its vicinity at tho present time.

“ From what T have seen,” said Mr Parker to a reporter this morning, l have come to the conchtsion that the problem which confronts New Zealand is about the same as that which confronted the United States and Canada about fifteen years ago, before automobiles came into such general use. Hundreds of miles of macadam roads had been constructed, which served very well the horse-drawn traffic of the days in which they were constructed. However. the advent of tlie motor-car brought an entire change, and it was soon demonstrated that ‘macadam simply would not stand the ravages of motor traffic. The problem which confronted the communities was a serious one, as most of the macadam roads had been built and paid for out of the proceeds of the sale of bonds, the bonds usually running for a period of twenty years. Many of the roads which started to go to pieces had been down only a few years, and the public had yet from ten to fifteen year s’ payments to make before the bonds would be re tired.

“It was finally suggested that these macadam roads might be utilised as .the foundation for some substantial typo of wearing surface. The experiment, was tried, and proved to be more successful even than was anticipated. Tlie wearing surfaces generally adopted are what • s known as asphaltic concrete wearing surfaces. They are composed of crushed stone, graded as to size, mixed with asphalt and laid and rolled in a heated condition. As soon as the pavement loses -its heat, which is only a matter of a few hours, the road is ready for traffic. The result of the success of this type of construction was that it was adopted generally throughout the country. and the large expenditure on the old macadam roads, which at one time looked like becoming a dead loss, was thus conserved. While motor traffic has not yet developed in New Zealand to the extent that it has in the United States ami Canada, nevertheless it is fast increasing, and the time will soon come when some such method as was adopted on the other side must receive consideration hero. It would Ik? necessary to deal first of all with the roads radiating out from the large centres of population. Probably some of the roads in the vicinity of Christchurch will soon have to receive some such treatment. The work could he extended as traffic- required, and. as in the case of the United States and Canada, the costof building the present macadam roads will prove to be a permanent investment if the roads are properly surfaced before entirely wearing out.” Mr Parker added that roads so constructed were absolutely dustless, and the motor traffic itself kept them clean. Such roads would be a great benefit to Christchurch in minimising, if not entirely removing, the dust nuisance.