From a Road Builder's Notebook

Keep 'Em Rolling: The equipment division of the Arizona high way department has to keep 'em rolling. That is quite a task when you realize what has to be kept rolling to keep the highways of the state in tip-top shape and open to traffic at all times. All the movable equipment of the highway department, including the automobiles of the highway patrol, is the immediate task of the equipment division and affiliate division-the shops.

There are about 1300 individual pieces of equipment that have to be maintained. This in cludes such things as a magnet truck, two buses, four motorcycles, 73 motor graders, 75 pull graders, 58 20-to-60 H. P. tractors, 138 trailers, two weed burners, nine bulldozers, 20 compress ors, seven carryalls, 78 gas engines, 41 fresnos, three hoists, 44 jackhammers, eight lighting plants, three loaders, nine mixers, three mowers, one raildriver, 17 rollers, 17 scarifiers, six snow plows, four power shovels, sundry material spreaders, paint stripers, sweepers, concrete vibrators, skid tanks, 20 staff cars, 150 field cars, and about 140 field trucks, ranging from small pickups to eight and ten-ton monsters used for the transport of the heaviest equipment. The superintendent of the equipment and shop division of the highway department is a pleasant, congenial chap whose name is George Steisel. Somewhere along the line he earned the nick name of "Caterpillar," a nickname that bespeaks his knowledge of the vast machinery that goes into the art of roadbuilding.

The Phoenix shops, one of the best outfitted machine shops in the state, is a beehive of in dustry. Here they do everything from adjusting a fan belt to the construction of big pieces of machinery needed for special work in the high way department. "If you need 'em, build 'em!" Joe Morino is the shop foreman, and under him is a crew of mechanics, electricians, painters, carpenters, an upholsterer, welders, blacksmiths, and all the other skilled artisans in the highly specialized technical work that is needed in such mechanical enterprise. There are also shop branches in various parts of the state, where repair work and maintenance of sectional equipment is carried on. A travel ing mechanic, a sort of super-handy man, travels the state keeping constant check on machinery in isolated parts of the state where a machine shop is not of easy access. The old adage about an ounce of prevention being worth more than a pound of cure applies to the policy of the shop and equipment division. It is a lot cheaper to keep a piece of equip ment moving by close inspection and care, than by neglect to have a complete breakdown on your hands.

Over both shop and equip ment divisions a meticulous sys tem of cost auditing determines the service every single piece of equipment is giving the highway department. An automobile using too much gas or oil will show its weakness on the cost sheets. A tractor not functioning efficiently will tell its tale of woe to account ant clerks and something will be done to make it run at less cost.

Efficient rolling equipment must be held in readiness for any emergency by the equipment and shop division. A heavy rain storm will cause slides in a mountain region. Equipment must be ready to swing into action. A heavy snow will pile itself deep over a highway, snow plows roll into action at moment's notice. No matter what the trouble, big equip ment is the answer.

Signing and Striping Is a Science: If all the road signs in the Arizona highway system were massed together the resulting conglomeration would resemble a miniature forest a mile square bristling with "Stop," "Curve," "Junction," "Caution," and destination signs no end. And if all the roadside delineators and reflector buttons were put to work together the reflected glow would illuminate a large city. Such is the extent to which scientific road building has gone to adequately sign and stripe the roads in the state highway system to provide a maximum of service and safety to the motorist.

At one time highway signing and striping was a hit-or-miss business with each state having a different system. Through the efforts of the American Association of Highway Officials, which works in close cooperation with the Public Roads Administration, uniform methods are being adopted by many states. Arizona subscribes to this policy of uniformity in signing and striping recommended by the A. A. of H. O. and the state highway system is well in the front in this important phase of highway work.

A complete departure in highway striping is now being put into effect in Arizona. By the use of accurate measuring apparatus, traffic engineers are changing the striping in no passing zones applicable to hills, elevations or curves. A yellow safety line will appear along the white center line indicating that passing is not safe. This yellow line appears where sight distance is limited. It stands for caution. R. C. • "Engineer Jones seems to be having a hard time making up his mind!"