Concrete Roads
and Their Construction

170 CONCRETE ROADS Pavement Gutters.—During the War it was found impossible to obtain iron pavement gutters and therefore experiments were made with concrete gutters. They are cast in a wood mould with a 3-in. iron pipe running through the mould. If care is taken in the casting and when being fixed they are found equal to iron gutters. Fig. 119 shows a gutter of this type. Brighton.—In 1878 the Corporation commenced making concrete kerb and “ pitchers,” and the first street was laid with concrete kerb and pitchers in that year. Since that date many streets have been laid with that material. The kerbs and pitchers have been made in the Corporation’s own stores in iron moulds by hand and without pressure, the kerbs 30 in. by 11 in. by 5 in., and pitchers 18 in. by 6 in. by 4 in. They have been found to be a very useful and cheap substitute in the case of roads having ordinary traffic. They were at first made with beach shingle and cement, 3 parts shingle, 1 part sand, and 2 parts cement, but afterwards, owing to the slippery nature of the shingle, granite was substituted. These, with granite, were made at a cost of 8d. per foot lineal, against Purbeck stone at Is. 3tZ., and granite at Is. 6d. Concrete slabs were also made by hand, and the first were laid in 1881 in one of the busiest streets of the town and are still in existence ; York stone laid adjoining has been replaced on two occasions. Fig. 120.—Moulds for kerbs at Brighton.