The concept for a memorial highway was based on the Appian Way that led to Rome, a road once adorned with beautiful monuments, magnificent temples and large villas with beautiful gardens, and even though the Founding Fathers of the Lincoln Way knew the roadside enhancements would not endure over the centuries, still they wanted their new highway to be unique and beautiful. Bordering the road on either side would be stately trees, the rows broken at points to offer views of spectacular scenery. When the Lincoln Memorial Road did not materialize, the men brought this perspective of beautification to the Lincoln Way, and included it as one of their key points. They continued to promote it over the years, including annual progress reports, and they had special plans for beautifying the Ideal Section in Indiana. Jens Jensen of Chicago, a landscape architect, was a member of the planning committee for the Ideal Section.
Beautification can consist of various elements.
Normally we think of landscaping, especially the planting of trees, but it can incorporate elements of the road itself, such as the design of a bridge, or roadside utilitarian services, such as signage, fountains and benches. They worked, then, with the local clubs in each community. Of course, some areas had their own natural beauty which didn't need enhancement, such as the mountains of Pennsylvania and at the Nevada-California border in the regions of Lake Tahoe and Donner Pass. As far as unusual roadside architecture, if ever a building called out for restoration, it is Noah's Ark east of Bedford, Pennsylvania. Officials of the Newark Motor Club plan to plant trees and shrubbery on Arbor Day along the old Plank Road, now the Lincoln Highway, between Newark and Jersey City.