The Owosso times., 1922-08-04
PLAN A NATIONAL
HIGHWAY SYSTEM
STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS
BEGIN A SERIES OF CONFER
ENcEs IN WASHINGTON
LOOKING TO FUTURE DEMANDS
Roads and Bridges Must BE Wider to
Aeeomodats Growing Traffie-Reou.
iations for Motor Trucks May BE
Adopted Later.
BY JAMES p. HoRNApAY

BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY
Washington.-The highways of the
country which for the most part have
been constructed In state units are to
be linked up in one countrywide sys-
TEN. The federal government and the
states are now cooperating to this
end. A meeting Of New England state
highway officials and engineers of the
federal bureau Of public roads has
Just been held here. This is the first
time public officials have got together
Tor the purpose Of laying out system
or highways to serve an area larger
than single state.
Throughout the summer and fall
similar meetings will be held between
the federal officials and highway au.
tnorities OF various groups Of states.
ny the end Of the calendar year, II
All goes well. there will be, on paper at
ieast' comprehensive plan for link.
ing up all the state highway systems.
This forward step Is the result Of
recent federal road legislation which
requires that all federal aid be spent
on connected system of highways
designed to serve the needs of the
whoie country. Tentative road sys-
TENS have been submitted to the fed
eral bureau Of public roads by all ex.
cept eight states, and the series Of
meetings that has been arranged for
Is to determine how to connect and CO.
ordinate the state systems.
From this time on only roads GER
tain to be a part Of the nationwide
system are to be approved for con-
struction with federal aid. 1t is esti.
mated that the national system of
highways will comprise about 10000
miles OF roadway. If the system Is
established in accordance with the
preliminary plans, the United States
will In time-and that time Is not SO
many years away-have the greatest
system Of any country in the world.
Must Meet Demands Of Future.
The representatives Of the federal
government and the state governments
who are attending these regional con-
ferences are also taking up the Ques.
ton of how the future demands on the
public highways shall be met. The
read building authorities have discov-
cred that many of the highways al.
ready improved will not meet the fu-
ture demands that will be made on
them. Indeed many of the roads are.
not wide enough to accommodate
properly the traffic that now passes
over them. Passenger automobile
traffic on public highways. for in
stance, has doubled since 1916 This
kind Of traffic continues to show an
enormous annual increase.
1t Is the growth Of the truck traffic,
however, that is causing the federal
and state authorities to talk Of wider
roadways, wider bridges and more
lasting road-bed material. There Is
more or less talk to the effect that
sooner or later this motor truck traffic
over the highways will have to be
regulated either by the federal gov.
ernment or by the states or through
system Of joint regulation. 1t Is
foreseen that this problem will be-
come more important as the state
highway systems are linked into a
national system. In some sections Of
the country the local freight business
has very largely been diverted from
the railroads to the motor trucks. 1t
seems probable, SO the best informed
men say, that with a national highway
system in operation, much of the long,
distance freight business will be done
by q motor truck company. In some
localities in the east, the motor trucks
are now crowding the passenger auto
mobiles Off the highways.
Plans for Motor Truck Traffic.
Some thought has already been de-
voted to plans for requiring motor
truck companies that use the i'm
proved highways to establish termi.
mails, to operate their trucks on time
schedule and to exact from the com.
panies a road tax sufficient to cover
the wear and tear on the roads. But
before these advanced steps can be
taken, II is pointed out, the federal
government and the states, since they
are cooperating In the building Of
highways, must widen many of the
roads that have s1ready been I'm
proved and must see to 1t that roads
that are improved from this time on
are wide enough TO take care Of both
freight and passenger traffic.
The conferences that are under way
here are also taking up the subject
of Standardization Of specifications
and tests for road material. Until
recently the general tendency was
toward individuality in each state with.
out much opportunity for the ex. !.
change ee ideas and knowledge. Now
the tendency Is In the other direction.
Ultimately, the road builders say, main
highway arteries will be constructed
of the same building material. A
committee on tests of building mater.
ial has been created by the federal
government and the states.
Federal-aid road projects totaling
663 miles in length were completed
and 541 miles went under construction
in MAY, bringing the total under con-
struction to nearly $1,000 miles and