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The Maintenance of Macadamised Roads |
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The Maintenance of Macadamised Roads
by Thomas Codrington
published 1892
Just a useful extract from this book, there must be many more if someone gets hold of a copy!!
from Chapter 1
Road maintenance comprises the renewal of the materials worn out by the action of traffic and the weather, the care of the surface and the drainage, and such casual repairs to the road and works connected with it as may be necessary. The most obvious feature in road maintenance is the application of new materials, but the prevention of avoidable wear, by keeping the surface and the body of the road in good condition, is hardly less important; and the removal of the materials from the road after they are worn to detritus, the care of the surface, and attention to drainage, are essential parts of a good system of maintenance
Tim Stevens of LARA comments on this book, in relation to some surfacing proposals for the Ridgeway National Trail -
The book quoted above predates the use of tarmac in the countryside, and is notable in several ways –
it shows that there does exist a body of knowledge regarding unsealed roads, which can usefully supplement the experiences of modern Highway engineers;
it makes it clear that the effects of traffic should be accommodated by good maintenance, with no mention of removing traffic as part of this process;
it reminds us of the need for new material, for proper drainage, and regular attention;
there is no mention anywhere in the book of grass as an appropriate surfacing material for roads.
We start from the proposition that had this venerable advice been heeded, the Ridgeway would be fit for the traffic which it carries, and no improvement would be required.
Of course, not much of the Ridgeway was regarded, even in Victorian times, as a major road – but times move on, and after all, it was not then shown on OS maps as ‘open to all traffic’ or advertised world wide as a wonderful all-weather, all-year-round recreational resource, either.
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Updated 24/1/2003 R.Kennedy
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Last Updated ( Friday, 10 November 2006 )
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