Trésaguet, Pierre-Marie-Jérôme (1716-1796)| French civil engineer who introduced improved methods of road building. |
| Trésaguet was born in Nevers and worked for the Corps des Ponts et Chaussées on civil engineering projects. He eventually rose to inspector general. |
| Trésaguet realized that lasting improvement to roads could be made only by providing a solid foundation, one that could withstand winter rains and frost, and the effects of traffic. He chose to dig out the roadbed to a depth of about 25 cm/10 in and lay first a course of uniform flat stones, laid on edge to permit drainage. Well hammered in, they provided a solid base on top of which he spread a layer of much smaller stones for a smoother surface. His roads were built 5.4 m/18 ft wide, with a crown that rose 15 cm/6 in above the outside edge. |
| His method was first used for a main road that ran from Paris to the Spanish border, via Toulouse. It proved so successful that many other countries copied the idea. |
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