Concrete Roads
and Their Construction

viii FOREWORD The experimental stage is, however, long since past; we have the advantage of American experience as well as our own to serve as a guide for future practice, and, claiming as we do that the con- crete road approaches more nearly to the ideal than any other, we maintain that, as Mr. H. Percy Boulnois, M.Inst.C.E., said in his report to the Roads Improvement Association, it should “ be included in the practice of road building, and should be given a better chance in the future, than it has received in the past, to prove or disprove its merits.” Should this opportunity not be given, progress here must inevitably be slow. But we believe it will be acknowledged that the records we present of roads laid in the United Kingdom are suffi- cient to show that this form of construction is quite sound, and that from the point of view of efficiency the concrete road is entirely- justified ; while comparative figures have clearly proved that its initial cost is little in excess of, and its ultimate cost is appreciably lower than, that of any other type of road. In the following pages particulars are given, as far as it has been possible to obtain them, of the various concrete roads that have been laid in this country up to the time of going to press, and the methods adopted in their construction. Every effort has been made to pre- sent a complete survey of the work done, and to this is added the latest information obtained from the officials concerned with regard to the condition of each road. It will be seen that these communications are all strongly in favour of the concrete road, and there is thus established a valuable summary of evidence from those best able to form an opinion from the point of view of the road authorities. A chapter has been devoted to roads in other countries, for the account in which of the concrete roads in America we ar© indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Thomas J. Harris. For the chapter on mechanical devices as applied to concrete roadmaking we have had the advantage of the services of Dr. A. B. Searle, and our thanks are due to the various engineers and surveyors mentioned who have willingly supplied us with information. December, 1920. The Editor.