Engineer and Road Builder. He invented the process known as ‘macadamisation’ for building roads with a smooth hard surface, the greatest advance in road construction since Roman times. In 1770 he went to New York City where he made his fortune working in his uncle’s counting house, before returning to Scotland in 1783. Upon his return he become a road trustee in his district and having noted that the local highways were in poor condition he undertook, at his own expense, a series of experiments in road making. He recommended that roads should be raised above the adjacent ground for good drainage and covered, first with large rocks, and then with smaller stones, the whole mass being bound with fine gravel or slag. In 1815, having been appointed surveyor general of the Bristol roads, he put his theories into practice. To document his work he wrote ‘Remarks on the Present System of Road-Making’ (1816) and ‘Practical Essay on the Scientific Repair and Preservation of Roads’ (1819). As the result of a parliamentary inquiry in 1823 into the whole question of road making, his views were adopted by the public authorities, and in 1827 he was appointed Surveyor General of Metropolitan Roads in Great Britain. The process was quickly adopted in other countries, notably the United States. Modern road construction still reflects his influence. Of subsequent improvements, the most significant was the introduction of tar to bind the road surface's stones together, giving the name ‘tarmac’ (for Tar Macadam). It is thought that he was offered a knighthood but declined. He died in Moffat while returning to his home in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, from his annual summer visit to Scotland.
Engineer and Road Builder. He invented the process known as ‘macadamisation’ for building roads with a smooth hard surface, the greatest advance in road construction since Roman times. In 1770 he went to New York City where he made his fortune working in his uncle’s counting house, before returning to Scotland in 1783. Upon his return he become a road trustee in his district and having noted that the local highways were in poor condition he undertook, at his own expense, a series of experiments in road making. He recommended that roads should be raised above the adjacent ground for good drainage and covered, first with large rocks, and then with smaller stones, the whole mass being bound with fine gravel or slag. In 1815, having been appointed surveyor general of the Bristol roads, he put his theories into practice. To document his work he wrote ‘Remarks on the Present System of Road-Making’ (1816) and ‘Practical Essay on the Scientific Repair and Preservation of Roads’ (1819). As the result of a parliamentary inquiry in 1823 into the whole question of road making, his views were adopted by the public authorities, and in 1827 he was appointed Surveyor General of Metropolitan Roads in Great Britain. The process was quickly adopted in other countries, notably the United States. Modern road construction still reflects his influence. Of subsequent improvements, the most significant was the introduction of tar to bind the road surface's stones together, giving the name ‘tarmac’ (for Tar Macadam). It is thought that he was offered a knighthood but declined. He died in Moffat while returning to his home in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, from his annual summer visit to Scotland.
Bio by: Peter Cox
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