Maintenance Costs

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS VOLUME 3 APRIL, 1927 NUMBER 4 MAINTENANCE COSTS

The main object of a maintenance By IRA L. WOOD, Cost Accountant sum spent on the surface and road-bed, cost report should be to furnish and for an example Maintenance Sec$8.134.16, and dividing it by 8 and 21.3; present and future data for the tion 452 is carried out in figures. this gave $47.73 as the average monthly engineering department as to the mainEstimated Cost Obtained maintenance cost of each mile of road tenance cost of the different types of From July 1, 1926, to February 28, bed and surfacing. This amount was roads and their surfacing and also to 1927, there was spent on this section divided by the traffic census 13,980, help determine when any certain type for maintaining the surface $7,217.75; and shows the cost per mile per vehicle is prohibitive. To do this a report is for roadbed, $916.41, and for bridges, as .0034c, that is the amount it cost a not complete with only the road's main$175.79, making the total spent for mile to maintain this project for each tenance cost, but it must also take inmaintenance $8,319.95. February being vehicle passing over it. Section 354 in to consideration the traffic it has and the eighth month of the fiscal year, District No. 2 is an 82 mile paved prowill have to carry. For traffic on all this sum was divided by 8 and also by ject and its cost per mile per vehicle surfaced roads that are amply drained 21.3 (its length in miles); this gave the is shown on each traffic chart for comis the main destructive factor. average monthly mile cost of $48.82 as parison. shown on the cost chart of this district. If this is kept with the maintenance The estimated year mile cost over the At the beginning of the next fiscal report, then when the time comes for under budget was obtained by multiplyyear the different types and miles of renewal of its surfacing, it is easy to ing this amount by 12, making the sum surfacing of each section will be shown figure the traffic life of that type of $585.84. The year mile budget for secon this chart so that in the future one surfacing instead of its year life, which tion 452 is $600.00. So at the rate can look back over these charts and is meaningless. So it is easily seen money was expended on this section see just how any type of surfacing has that keeping a traffic record in confor the last eight months, at the end of stood up under the traffic over any junction with a maintenance cost rethe fiscal year the maintenance cost of period of time. port will furnish valuable intormation this section will be $14.16 a mile under that will help determine for future the budget allowance. This part of At first, it might seem that to chart roads the type of surfacing that will be the cost chart shows the district enall this information each month would most economical for the amount of trafgineers at a glance how each section is take up too much time, however, only fic they will have to carry. standing financially in reference to the one tracing was made with the figures, budget. lettering and blank columns in for all Many a good maintenance cost redistricts. A Van Dyke was made from port that has all these objects in view The Traffic Chart of District No. 1 this tracing and from the Van Dyke a is spoiled by the voluminous mass of shows 452 as having an average monthbrown line print was made for each figures one has to wade through bely traffic of 13980 cars for the first month. And it takes far less time to fore the meaning is clear. It was with eight months of the fiscal year. The fill in these blank columns with this this idea in mind that the engineering traffic census is obtained by an actual information than it does to get it in department saw fit to replace the old twenty-four hour count once a month form for typing. Another good feature monthly type form with a monthly on each section and raised to a thirty of the chart form is as many blue print chart that would show the sanent featday period. copies can be made from the brown line ures of the old report. printed as wanted. It also makes a The Cost Chart and Traffic Chart of The cost per mile per vehicle of this neater and more permanent record than District No. 4 is shown in this article section was determined by taking the a type-written report.

ARIZONA HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT MAINTENANCE COST REPORT Average Monthly Mile Cost

Estimated Year Mile Maintenance Cost Over and Under Budget Cost per Mile per Vehicle Traffic Census-Cars per Month