Concrete Roads
and Their Construction

 IN THE UNITED KINGDOM—PROVINCIAL 17 Northbrook Street has always been a bad roadway, and for 20 years prior to the war had cost £300 per annum in maintenance. To-day, if retained as a macadam road, it would cost something like £500 per annum. The concreting of this road will cost somewhere about £5,000, and as the interest on this at, say, 6 per cent., will amount to £300 only, it will be seen at once that the contention of Mr. S. J. Lee Vincent, A.M.I.C.E., the Borough Surveyor, that the laying of a new concrete road is a sound commercial pro- position, is borne out by actual figures. It is anticipated that, when the present road has had time to prove itself, other concrete roads will be laid in the borough. Latest Repoit.—In December, 1920, the Borough Surveyor stated that, in order to give a real concrete road a thorough test, all top dressing was omitted with the exception of a thin coat of refined tar and granite chippings. After seven months of heavy traffic, the surface is in a thoroughly satisfactory condition. Cheshire Roberts Lane, Saltney, Chester.—One of the first reinforced concrete roads to be constructed in this country was Roberts Lane, Saltney, in the environs of Chester, laid in 1912, under the personal super- vision of Mr. Matthews Jones, late City Surveyor. Briefly de- scribed, this road, which is 950 ft. long and 20 ft. broad, was excavated to a depth of 8 to 10 in. On top of the clay subsoil 2 in. of cinders were placed to bind it, and on this 2| to 3 J- in. of concrete. Across the road the reinforcement was then laid. Covering this was concrete to a depth of to 4| in. The concrete was made of five parts broken granite f in. to | in. and sharp sand mixed to one of cement. The road was closed for about three weeks, and for part of the time was kept well watered. After being opened for traffic, the road remained for nearly a year without any- thing being done to it, when it was tar-sprayed and sprinkled with granite chippings, at a cost of 1 ^d. per yard. This treatment is car- ried out once a year, so the cost of maintenance is a very light one. The traffic on this road in 1913 was computed to be about 60 tons per day—not heavy—but undoubtedly this has increased, and will still further do so as the property in and around this district is developed. The original cost, including the excavation, was 3s. lOcZ. per yard, and the cost of maintaining the surface has already been mentioned. C