Evening star., 1925-11-29
HIGHWAY PROGRAM in i. S.
GUSTS SMALL PROMOTER
Gigantic Road System, Numbered and
Uniformly Marked, to Take Place of
the Present tumble.
HN WILLIAM ULI.MAN,
Automobile Editor of The Star.

ID WILLIAM Et.MAN,
Automobile Editor of The Star.
Seventy-tive thousand miles Of high
ways, and not | cent for promotion
That reads like the fiamboyan. ad
.Vertisements designed to entice the
unwary public into a "firSt-claSS. iron,
clad, rock-ribbed" investment; yet il
il essentially true, or at lea st true
enough to warrant such a sweeping
statement. For the promoter in this
case is none other than Uncle Sam
and every one-SeVentY- five thouSa ndth
part of the project bears his stamp
of approval. The public is not asked
TO contribute directly to this project
but. on the other hand. is invited to
share in the benefits accruing there
from.
Roads that will span the continent
many times. lengthwise and ctosSwise
traverSinC every State and touching
every important center within each
State. simply designated and uniform
~ marked. providing thousands of
miles of continuous. safe travel with
out the slightest possibility of direc-
tional complications or entanglementS,
this is the prospect that the touring
m0torist of the near future faces.
What's more. these 10000 miles of
highways will be of that degree of inn
prQvement as to entiCe even the most
timid car owner into following the
gasoline trail
Gigantic Road System.
After two wears of combined effort
on the part of the United States Blu
reau of Public Roads and the State
highway commissions. cooperating as
a joint board TO untansle the jumbled
network of roads left by the hap
iSln
ties of a large number of private trails
organizations. the Department of Agri-
culture has announced a gigantic Sys-
tenn of tinted States highways.
Never before has such project been
undertaken: never before has similar
effort been made to simplify and popu-
lariZe motor travel.
In the last Il years some 2ao so
Calied highway associations were or
EaniZed in various parts OF the onlted
States They projected a quarter mil
lion miles of road and collected from
property owners, realty promoters and
"bOoSter' organizations several mil
lions of dollars. an intiniteSimal frac'
tion of which, according to authorlta'
tive records, actually was spent In
highway construction. Every Such
organization had an office, reamS OF
propaganda literature and, of course
q n3lO secretary WHO IIi'l d pei 'oiio
interest in perpetuating and adVeruS
ing. at least by name, his particular
road.
Their chief activity. besides solicit
ing memberships at 81 or more "A head
and breaking into the public print
consisted in anticipating routes pro
iected by the State highway commits
sions and the Federal Bureau of Pub
lie Roads. These they included in
-har m al
held them up to their members as the
achievement of the Blah-blah Memo
rial Highway Association.
Headed for Denouncements.
Up to this point these builders OF
paper highways met With little oppo
sition either from touring motorists
or governmental agencies. But when
they began crowdins every mile OF
their designated routes with vari
colored and multi-shaped markers and
signs they We're heading for a sudden
announcement.
The highways of the United states
today are eloquent examples OF the ac-
tivitieS of private trails organizations
The harmless tourist in his f1lVNer
doesn't know whether he is going or
coming, whether he is a hundred miles
from nowhere or on the right road
lodging. He j. at sea on a dusty road
sprovidinC he has an abiding faith in
The integrity Of road signs such as
now interrupt our beautiful landscape
If he were to take stock in every
sign that hits his retina he would be
in a babel of confusion, for they all
speak a different language. There are
1o-mile stretches of highway that bear
as many as eight different names, and
,,-fyN<
by seven different designationS-sev
highway associations claiming this
mile Is part of their system. This
overlapping of routes and the conse-
quent multiplication of conflicting and
contradictory signs are the outstand
ing contribution of the paper highway
associations to motor touring.
Numbered Highways.
At last the Federal Government ant
the State highway departments have
Joined forces To rid the country Of
the riff raft of highway promotion anC
To set up system of numbered
United States Highways" standard
ized to markers and signs.
State highway officials, feeling the
need of uniform designation and mark
ing of roads, called upon the Secre
tary of Agriculture about two year:
and Federal road experts to unrave
the highway mess. Since then they
have classified. juggled and linked III
a system of $1,000 miles in length. vir
tually obliterating all previous system:
and thus sounding the death-knell o
the private trails organizations.
More than a hundred roads of vary
ing lengths have been selected as tn,
main arteries of the system. Som,
In 6 -.
tinent. but each bears a distinguish
ing number throughout its entir,
length. At uniform distances alons
each route standard markerS-th,
shield of the United States on a whit,
background, hordered in black, will
the name of the State. the initials
"U. s. and the route number in bIacl
''by motor.
With the numbers selected, privat,
and public map makers have befor'
them a gigantic map-making job
showing the United States highway!
and their respective numbers. Arme,
with such a map. the 1926 motor tour
ist will have litL;- difficulty In follow
ing the route selected for his mex
seasons trip For example, a motor
lst In Jacksonville. Fla, planning Oh
q tour :. Seattle. Wash, will find, b,
conSH1ing the map. that the trip ma,
be eSade via certain numbered routes
Uniform Signs.
Not only will the highways be mum
bered throughout their length, bu
they also will be dotted by uniform
signs indicating points of geographi
cal interest distances to places along
the line of travel, distances to place!
TO the right or to the left, speed limi
and the imminence of crossroads.
In addition. a system of uniform