Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1917-06-15
Prepared by the United States Depart


Well-balanced and experienced judg-
ment regarding the relative Importance
of the various details involved is
much more valuable asset in undertake
ing to locate road than mere techni-
cal skill in handling surveying instru-
ments. No knowledge gained from
books alone can give that complete
grasp of the relations existing between
a public road and the community it
serves which Is so necessary If the
location and design Of the road are to
secure the greatest possible good from
the money expended.
In locating or relocating public
road the prime considerations should
be, first, the comfort and convenience
Of the travelling public which 1t Is in
tended to accommodate, and, second,
the economy of public funds. The first
consideration fixes the general location
Of the road and limits such details Of
design and layout as affect the safety
and comfort of travellers. The second
should control the detailed working
out of q location to suit the topography
or surface layout of the region through
which the road passes, with due re-
gard for such features of the design
as affect the cost of construction, Of
maintenance and of hauling over the
completed road.
The comfort and convenience Of
travellers, requires, first, that the road
pass conveniently close to the dwell
ing places of those for whose particu-
lar use it is built; second, that it be
free from dangerous curves and grades
and sufficiently wide for safe travel;
and, third, that the surface be such as
to remain reasonably firm and smooth
and to become neither very dusty nor
very muddy under any combination OF
weather and traffic conditions. The
extent to which any particular road
must meet these requirements depends,
of course, on the state Of public senti-
ment in the community which pays for
the road. But in most communities it
! is safe to assume that the standards Of
excellence as regards the accommoda-
ton demanded Of public roads will be-
raised rather than lowered. Due fore
sight, therefore, should be exercised in
working out the location and design
Of a road, so that later improvements,
such as reducing grades, increasing the
width Of the Travelled way, or con-
structing better surface, can be made;
without the necessity Of making expet-
sive changes in the location or other
wise wasting any considerable part of,
the work already accomplished.
Location of Roads.
A few general rules regarding the To-
cation and design of public roads may
be stated briefly as follows:
1. Avoid sharp curves in the road
because such curves are menace to-
traffic. On light grades and level
stretches the location should be prefer
ably such that traveller may see at
least two or three hundred feet ahead
from any point on the road, and on.
sleeper grades this distance should be
increased if automobile traffic is to be-
reasonably safe. Where the view is;
unobstructed and the grade Is practi-
cally level, country roads of ordinary
width may be curved to a radius OF
only about two hundred feet without
seriously mountaineering traffic, but!
to safeguard against accidents the ra-'
dius of curves located on grades should'
be preferably not less than about BOO
or 400 feet, even if the view is per-
fectly open.
2. Provide ample width for vehicles
to pass each other without leaving the
| travelled way.
8. Bear in mind that If road ever
becomes of any considerable impor-
lance, it's users probably will demand
that all the sleeper grades be reduced
| to the lowest maximum that would
| conform to the general topography OF
the region which the road traverses.
4. Avoid all unnecessary distance
| Aside from the advantages to traffic
| Of q short route, each mile Of addi-
tional road involves considerable
extra yearly expense for maintenance,
| and this consideration alone may war
rant considerable expense in shorten
ing the route when the road is con-
structed, provided that the decrease in
/ distance does not materially increase
the steepness of the grades.
5. Regard land lines only in so far
as this may be done without decreas-
ing the usefulness Of the road or in
creasing it's ultimate cost. The ten
dency in most rural communities is to
\ locate all new roads along land lines,
\ regardless Of the suitability of the
route, and this has been responsible
for much waste in the past. Not in
frequently roads located along land
lines have been graded at considerable
expense, and abandoned later when the
community demanded more highly
improved road with better grades.
4 6. Give reasonable consideration to
the pleasing features Of the location.
A large part Of the travel on most
country roads is for pleasure, and the
degree of pleasure experienced in driv-
ing is largely dependent upon the
scenic attractiyeness of the road.
Laying Out Road.
The actual procedure Of laying out
a road should be controlled very large
~ by the lay Of the land which the
road is to traverse. Where the coun.
l frv ia cononarative1y level fOP ey-