138. Wherever practicable and in keeping with the department's overall policy, works are carried out by contract. Routine maintenance of road surfaces, kerbs, channels and footpaths and the reinstatement of trenches opened by public utility companies is carried out under a twelve-month contract, working on a priced schedule of rates. Where reconstruction is involved and generally wherever the value of the work warrants it, public tenders are called. The Quarries are operated by direct labour, which also is employed on the routine cleaning of road gutters, culverts, grass verges and the painting of traffic and parking signs. A direct labour force of nearly 1,200 skilled and unskilled male Chinese is employed.
134. The six years since the re-occupation has been a never-ending struggle to reduce the backlog of work from years of neglect during the Japanese occupation period, and at the same time, to keep abreast of the increasing demands of road users. Heavy diesel public service vehicles carry some 200 million odd passengers annually, the number of road vehicles has increased threefold in the last ten years up to nearly 20,000, and heavy war department vehicles including 40-ton tanks take their toll. Double-decked buses have been introduced on the mainland. At the same time road users demand improved riding qualities of road surfaces.
Reconstruction Policy
135. With the adoption of the policy of reconstructing important thoroughfares in permanent materials where possible as opposed to patching existing surfaces carried on inadequate foundations, a comprehensive survey of road conditions was made and a long-term reconstruction programme compiled. On bus routes and trunk roads where foundations are sound an 8" slab of vibrated plain concrete with a 1" thick wearing coat of bituminous macadam is being used. On less important roads the 8" slab is reduced to 6". Where foundations are suspect, reconstruction consists in laying 9" "bottoming" of
35
138. Wherever practicable and in keeping with the depart- ment's overall policy, works are carried out by contract. Routine maintenance of road surfaces, kerbs, channels and footpaths and the reinstatement of trenches opened by public utility companies is carried out under a twelve-month contract, working on a priced schedule of rates. Where reconstruction is involved and generally wherever the value of the work warrants it, public tenders are called. The Quarries are operated by direct labour, which also is employed on the routine cleaning of road gutters, culverts, grass verges and the painting of traffic and parking A direct labour force of nearly 1,200 skilled and signs unskilled male Chinese is employed.
134. The six years since the re-occupation has been a never ending struggle to reduce the backlog of work from years of neglect during the Japanese occupation period, and at the same time, to keep abreast of the increasing demands of road users. Heavy diesel public service vehicles carry some 200 million odd passengers annually, the number of road vehicles have increased threefold in the last ten years up to nearly 20,000, and heavy war department vehicles including 40-ton tanks take their toll. Double-decked buses have been introduced on the mainland. At the same time road users demand improved riding qualities of road surfaces.
Reconstruction Policy
135. With the adoption of the policy of reconstructing important thoroughfares in permanent materials where possible as opposed to patching existing surfaces carried on inadequate foundations, a comprehensive survey of road conditions was made and a long term reconstruction programme compiled. On bus routes and trunk roads where foundations are sound an 8" slab of vibrated plain concrete with a 1" thick wearing coat of bituminous macadam is being used. On less important roads the 8" slab is reduced to 6". Where foundations are suspect, reconstruction consists in laying 9" "bottoming" of
35
Š
:
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.