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A proper surface drainage system prevents water from infiltrating the pavement's surface and removes water from the driving lanes in a constant thin sheet to the side ditches which carry the water away from the roadway.

Sealing cracks in the pavement surface also helps but this is of little use if the surface drainage system does not function properly. A surface drainage system has four components: road crown, shoulders, ditches and culverts.

The crown or superelevation of the road surface allows water to run off to the side ditches. Shoulders are an extension of the road surface and allow for the continued flow of water to the ditches. Ditches are used to carry water away from the roadway. They need to be kept clean and protected from erosion. Water left in the ditch can sometimes leak back into the pavement's foundation materials. Water collected and carried in the ditch has to be directed away from the roadway at frequent intervals, sometimes using culvert pipe.

Culverts usually channel water from one side of the road to the other, helping to control the flow of water and slowing it down to reduce erosion.

Road managers are guided by the principles that 1 water runs down hill, 2 water needs outlets at the bottom of all grades, and 3 puddles mean problems. If it were not for water, a road commissioner's job would be easy. But because of water, whether in liquid form or as snow or ice, a road manager's work is never done.

Except for some moisture that is needed for soil compaction and for dust control, water is the road manager's enemy. Build on a Firm Foundation A highway wears out from the top but it falls apart from the bottom. This is another way of saying that the road base determines the service life of a road.

The base supports everything above it, including traffic. If adequate support does not exist, the road will rapidly deteriorate. A good road requires a suitable foundation which, in turn, requires stable material. A road material is stable if it has little or no change in its volume and does not deform under repeated loads whether the material is wet or dry.

Soils can be stabilized using such agents as asphalt, calcium chloride, cements, lime, salt and other products. To select the proper stabilizing agent, an understanding is required of both the soil and the agent to be used. The additive must be of the correct type and in the correct quantity to produce satisfactory results.

Geotextiles may also be very helpful to stabilize a soft road. Blended or crushed gravels are more expensive alternatives.

The quality of soils used by a town will often depend on local availability and budget. In deciding what is affordable, a town should consider the long-term consequences of using lower quality material. By putting down a good base in the beginning using quality materials, a town can correct the few weak spots in the roads over a period of years and be assured of a sound base upon which eventually to apply a permanent hard surface.

Using inferior base materials may require excessive maintenance during the road's life and perhaps costly rehabilitation before paving. The adage "pay me now or pay me later" applies to road building. Written guides exist to help road commissioners classify the usefulness of soil types for road foundations and bases. The guides give information on potential frost action, compressibility, and drainage characteristics.

Compact Soils Well The denser the materials, the stronger the base. When soil is improperly compacted, future traffic loads or changes in moisture content can cause settlement and failure of the roadway. Compaction is achieved by pressing soil particles together using rollers, tampers, or vibrators, expelling the air from the mass, filling the spaces between the particles, and making the material more dense.

Well-graded soils having a fairly even distribution of particle sizes will compact more easily than poorly-graded soils having mostly one particle size. Jagged or semi-jagged particles will compact to a more stable configuration than rounded particles of similar size. A certain amount of moisture is necessary for good solid compaction.

Design for Winter Maintenance If a town designs its roads for winter maintenance, they would be adequate for the remainder of the year. Consider the following: A one-way plow cuts a nine-foot-wide swath. If the road is wide enough to allow the plow and a school bus to meet, it is wide enough during the remaining seasons of the year.

If ditches and roadside areas are wide enough to store snow, chances are they will accommodate spring thaws and heavy water flows. A town will not be sorry for having a wide road but it may regret building a narrow one.

Grades should be a minimum of one percent for drainage purposes but should not be greater than ten percent, if at all possible. If the road is steeper than that, it is difficult for heavy equipment to maneuver, especially in wintertime.

Sight distance should be considered in designing a road. For safety's sake, a driver should be able to see 75 to feet up the road for every 10 miles of speed. This rule of thumb may be helpful when issuing permits for driveways onto a town road.

Build for Traffic Volumes and Traffic Loads Ice on a pond will support a young skater but it will crack under the weight of an automobile or even break apart.

Similarly, a road built to serve residential traffic will break down when it starts carrying a number of large trucks. It takes the passage of approximately 9, cars to equal the effect on a road of the passage of one 80,pound truck.

Road commissioners know that roads, like bridges, should be designed with the expected traffic type and volume in mind. A rule of thumb is to design a road to accommodate the largest vehicle that will use the road under normal operations. Designing the road for the largest piece of town equipment which maintains it in all kinds of weather may suffice. For example, a foot-wide roadway should have a minimum of a to 20 inch gravel base.

When considering the type and thickness of pavement mixes to apply on a gravel road, a town is wise to seek some advice.

Generally speaking, a low-volume road vehicles per day or less having some truck traffic may provide good service with a "chip seal. As traffic volumes and weights increase, the type and thickness of pavement should increase to a point where the pavement itself actually shares the load stress.

Heavy-duty Interstate highways, for example, have a foot or more of asphalt concrete below the riding surface. Pave Only Those Roads that are Ready In their haste to put a smooth surface on a gravel road, some towns make the mistake of paving over a road that is not properly prepared. The result may be a complete waste of money. Unless the base of the road is first built with the proper thickness for the traffic it must bear and the gravel is compacted to a proper density with the ability to drain well, any pavement put on it will fail.

Experienced road commissioners make sure a gravel road works well before paving. The cost of reconstructing a failed road is must higher than doing it right the first time. Build from the Bottom Up A road that has a poor base and poor drainage cannot be adequately improved with a top dressing of gravel or new pavement.

It may be necessary in some cases to dig out the old road, put in new material and build up the road in layers. Before doing anything to correct a road surface problem, road managers should take into consideration what is causing the problem underneath.

Improper drainage, insufficient depth of base or poor quality gravel may be the culprits. These should be corrected before spending money on the surface.

Protect Your Investment If worn roof shingles are not replaced and if the outside is not painted occasionally, a house will deteriorate and lose value. Maintenance activities include: Roadway Surfaces - blading and shaping, patching, resurfacing; dust control; snow and ice removal Drainage - cleaning and repairing culverts and ditches Roadside - cutting brush, trees and grass; repair and prevention of roadside erosion Bridges - channel clearing; repair of rails, decks and structure; cleaning and painting Traffic Services - sign maintenance Special Projects - restoration or improvements; emergency work such as removing slides and repairing retaining walls.

Keep Good Records Road commissioners know their roads like the back of their hand. Most of them are a walking history book when it comes to the roads they manage every day. This knowledge is of little use, however, when the road commissioner is laid up or retires. Good record keeping makes roadwork much easier for everybody. It's easier to draw up budgets and to show citizens plans for roadwork. Recording what type of work was done on a road or bridge, when, and what materials were used can help a lot in decision-making later on.

Towns can start by inventorying all roads and bridges, listing length, width, surface types, culverts, problem areas and other items. Putting these items on a map helps. Next comes listing and prioritizing needed improvements, putting a price tag on them and knocking off a few problems each year. Good record keeping of road and bridgework and equipment is good business. Several user-friendly software programs exist to help towns in this effort, and are available at the Maine Local Roads Center at One satisfied municipal manager stated: "Our road network is in awful shape and we're going to need a bunch of money to fix it.

We purchased RSMS because we've heard it is the easiest, fastest, and least expensive way to develop a credible, professional road plan to make our case why we need funding. Your Road Plan Roads are an asset. What is a Road Plan? A road plan is a formal document that provides answers to the following questions: What condition is our network in? Which roads are a higher priority?

What is the right repair? What will it cost? What is the history of work and expenditures on each road? RSMS has the capacity to store documents and pictures of roads to enhance your inventory. Run reports to verify accuracy of road inventory Run Network Overview graphical charts View Network Overview charts and begin to develop priorities Choose road treatments from a list of appropriate recommended repairs, develop schedule, and budget Run financial reports to review budget and adjust as needed RSMS comes loaded with state DOT pricing for items, i.

Features Specific design features of RSMS 16 include: Starting with a customized map of your local road inventory Easy to learn and use Easy to generate useful outputs in an attractive format Showing all road conditions and sign conditions on a color coded map Insightful road network analysis and planning without requiring road engineering know-how Usable by all levels of municipal officials, road committees, and other stakeholders.

RSMS11 Overview RSMS 11 was originally designed to provide an easy, yet powerful tool to assist local officials develop a prioritized maintenance plan, with costs, for their paved and unpaved road network. Features Specific design features of RSMS 11 include: Provide insightful road network analysis and planning without requiring road engineering know-how Easy to learn and easy to use Easy to generate useful outputs in an understandable format Usable by all levels of municipal officials, road committees, and other stakeholders.

It only values pavement and gravel and not culverts, guardrail, striping, etc. Determining ownership is the first step in the process when trees are in a public right of way. The owner of a tree is the landowner on whose land the tree is rooted. Once you reach the crest of Munjoy Hill, there is a cool observatory tower called the Portland Observatory.

Note: If you do the brewery tour, you will arrive here too late to do the tour as the tower closes at PM, but you can see the exterior and maybe head back here on another day if you want to ascend the top and do the museum tour. The Figgy Piggy is also delicious: fig jam, prosciutto, what could go wrong?

Alternately, you could get a bagel at Forage , which looked really vibrant and popular with locals. After breakfast, wander down Washington Avenue and explore some of the cool small businesses that have popped up here. Here are a few favorites. Of all the lighthouses in Maine I saw, this one was my favorite! The lighthouse is exquisite and there is a coastal trail where you can see a few different viewpoints of the lighthouse with different compositions, which is great for photographers.

There is also a cliff trail that goes on the other side of it, and there is an area where you can walk down to the beach if you want to swim in the water with lighthouse views behind you!

There are also a handful of food trucks in the area: I saw one gelato shop and two lobster shack style restaurants selling seafood sandwiches and fried seafood.

Two Lights is the name of both a lighthouse and a state park in the Cape Elizabeth area south of Portland. Two Lights is so named because there are two lighthouses that look almost like twins about meters from each other. You can see them at the same time, but they are not as close together as I expected. This is one of my favorite areas in all of Portland. After strolling around the Arts District area, you may or may not want to go to the Portland Museum of Art , depending on time, budget, and your interest in art.

While the Portland Museum of Art is rather contemporary, the Victoria Mansion is elegant and old-fashioned, almost untouched over the last years. You can take a tour of the mansion — the final tour finishes at PM summer hours , or you can just check it out from outside if you are on a budget or are not interested in seeing the interior museum.

Booking in advance is recommended, particularly on weekends and rainy days. The area around Victoria Mansion is perhaps even more beautiful than the mansion itself! This is where I found virtually all of my favorite buildings in Portland.

It looks almost like Rue Cremieux in Paris, minus the crowds! After a full day exploring downtown Portland, you have two areas where you could get a delicious dinner. Alternately, you can head back to Washington Avenue for some more exploration of this charming part of town!

There are a lot of great restaurants that are open for dinner here, many of which are Portland favorites. If you want to do a little morning shopping, head to the town of Freeport which is known for its outlets and massive L.

Crew, some of my favorite Smartwool socks from L. Bean… and tore myself away from the Loft outlet, because my credit card was weeping. Brunswick is a delightful small city in Maine with a vibrant Maine Street hopefully you enjoy the pun as much as I do and great shopping and activities.

Take a walk by the Sea Dog Brewing Company on the Frank J Wood bridge stop and admire the falls on the other side to the Topsham side of town, and then take the pedestrian swinging bridge over the river back to Brunswick. On your way back, walk past Fort Andross and pop into the flea market there , or go shopping on Maine Street.

Currently, they are doing take-out only. First, head to the Giant Steps. This is a short trail where you can see some cool rock formations: a set of volcanic rocks that look like a staircase that perhaps could have been used by a giant! Here, there is a small gift store, a memorial to drowned and lost fisherman, and stunning views of other islands further out in Casco Bay.

Finally, on your way back, be sure to stop at Mackerel Cove. This is one of the main harbors in Bailey Island and has an incredible view! The food is also excellent. I had a jerk salmon sandwich with chili slaw and jammy roasted tomatoes — it was divine.

We also split the crab cakes, which I could have eaten a half dozen of…. Luckily, there is a great bar area and you can grab a drink while you wait and there are plenty of places to walk and sit with a drink while you wait.

Aim to finish up your meal just before sunset so you can take a walk on the grounds and admire views like those above! Route 1 runs through it, and you could blink and miss it — but the charming town of Wiscasset is definitely worth the stop! Wiscasset is one of those towns that is like a living museum. There are a lot of information placards throughout the city that showcase all the different architectural styles and buildings and their historical importance.

Another cool place to visit in Wiscasset is the Butter Mold Company. Bonus: everything there smells like cinnamon and apple pie. The owner is also extremely nice and great to chat with. Frankly, there is always a huge line, and the price is not cheap. It was disappointing. Do as I say, not as I do, unless you also like disappointment. In fact, of all the places I shopped at in Maine which was a devastatingly highly number , my favorite stores were in tiny little Damariscotta, and I even wrote a whole post on this charming small town!

Wait, oyster midden? You can find one unperturbed midden at this park! They serve delicious fried fish sandwiches and lobster rolls get yours with cilantro mayo! The setting, though, almost edges out the food as the main draw.

Bring lots of mosquito repellent and suck it up! When we visited, a majestic black and white horse was just grazing in front of the house, and he came right up to us for pets and scratches! The grounds and the house are currently closed for renovations, but you can still see the house from the field from afar, and you can visit his gravestone.

There are a number of places serving breakfast pastries; I suggest Atlantic Baking Co. Rockland is considered the Art Capital of Maine and with good reason: the Farnsworth Museum is one of the best art museums in the country!

There are a number of excellent galleries and boutiques that are worth window shopping — or entering, if your wallet dares! Camden is best known for its beautiful state park, Camden Hills State Park , just a few miles north of the city of Camden but feeling like a world away! Camden Hills State Park has a lot of wonderful hiking trails available. You could hike up the trail to Mt.

For a much more intense hike, Mount Megunticook is an option. Bring lots of water and a snack, and be prepared for Read trail reports here. You should definitely spend some time walking around the Harbor area and the Harbor Park , shopping at some of the shops on Main Street and Bay View Avenue , and admiring Megunticook Falls in the harbor. It was magical. Finish your magical day in Camden in the most magical way: on the sea on a boat cruise to explore the Bay and even get to see the beautiful Curtis Lighthouse on an island off the shore.

You may also get to see wildlife like seals, cormorants, porpoises, and more — and perhaps even some lobstermen pulling in their traps! Since this itinerary has been pretty fast-paced, I think a little relaxation by the ocean is in order. Sand Beach is about a minute drive from the Bar Harbor town center and is one of the first attractions along the Park Loop Road. The parking area tends to fill up quickly, so be prepared to scout for a parking spot. The beach is staffed with park lifeguards to make swimming in the chilly water safe for all the brave souls that choose to do so.

Sand Beach is the perfect spot to set up for a sunny afternoon with a picnic, beach chairs, and plenty of sunblock — that New England summer sun is no joke! There are a couple of fun trails that take off from this area too. The shorter loop option is 1. If you want to add a more challenging hike to your Acadia itinerary on the first day, the trailhead for the Beehive Trail , a tough but rewarding 1.

It uses iron rungs to climb up the more difficult part of the trail. Be extremely careful here as some hikers have died. Do not descend the same way you ascended. If you begin the hike, be prepared to finish it so that you do not endanger people who are coming up the iron rungs.

This is not one for those with a fear of heights! Bar Harbor is a charming New England coastal community with quirky boutique shops and amazing seafood restaurants. Before dinner, take a walk along the Shore Path , which begins at the Town Pier. This short path offers beautiful views of the boats anchored in the harbor for the evening. The outdoor seating is decorated with beautiful yellow umbrellas and offers five-star views of Frenchman Bay and the Porcupine Islands. Not only are the views great, but the food is too!

The portion size is no joke, and definitely not for one: it comes with all the goods including New England clam chowder, steamed mussels and clams, over one pound of Maine Lobster, seasonal sides, and homemade blueberry pie!

Hope you saved room for dessert.