Evening star., 1927-05-01
HIGHWAY ENGINEERS ATTEMPT
TO ELIMINATE MANY DANGERS
Building for Safety Cited as Greatest
Feature of Programs for Roads
to Garry Future Traffic.

different colored pin is used for each
type of accident. An accumulation Of
pins shows in graphic manner the
locati where a construction change
is needed
Highway engineers are also relo.
eating the main roads to eliminate
curves, to avoid railroad grade cross
ings and to reduce steep grades. In
cidentally, these relOcations save dis
tance, avoid costly bridges and mean
benefit to the motorist in the cost OF
vehicle operation.
In Illinois road $50 miles long
was relocated almost entirely through
out it's length. thereby saving 80 miles
of unnecessary distance and eliml-
mating 81 grade crossings. Relocating
the road from Kansas City to St.
Louis, a length of about 800 miles.
saved Al miles in distance and elimi-
mated 8 grade crossings.
THE frequency of highway acci-
dents resulting from traffic congestion
has demonstrated not only that we
must construct our new highways OF
ample width but also that we need to
widen many of the roads and bridges
now in use. This has led to the con-
struction In the vicinity OF large in
dustrial Centers and on main thor
oughfares of what is known as the
per-highway' to insure the maxi
mum road capacity, speed and safety.
Foremost of the super-highways is
the one out of Detroit. This road has
a total width of 204 feet, with two
separated roadways A feet wide, each
carrying one-day traffic. On each of
the four-track roadways horse.drawn
traffic keeps to the right-hand curb;
slow-moving, heavy trucks outside,
and automobiles in the two other
lanes, thereby providing rapid, safe
and easy movement for all kinds OF
traffic. In addition, space is provided
between the roadwayS for rapid
transit trolley lines and provision is
made for motor parking as we'll as for
pedestrians.
TwOIeveI Intersections.
"Other highways on which exten.
sive widening programs are going on
or parallel routes are being extended
are the Pacific Highway in the State
of Washington, highways out of Chi.
cago, the Lincoln Highway west Of
Philadelphia, the Boston Post road
between New York and New Haven.
as well as roads leading out Of Cleve-
land, Akron and Cincinnati"
Prof. Steinberg explained that to
relieve traffic congestion and promote
safety at important intersection
points two-level intersections were be.
ing planned. Under this system
through traffic proceeds on an over
head bridge on one of the roads, while
turning traffic swings wide of the
bridge and uses the ground level.
The first structure OF this kind now
is being built just north of Chicago
at very congested highway inter-
section, he said 1t Is believed it will
materially aid the speeding up Of
traffic and IL it proves successful this
twolevel intersection will be used in
other communities.
Traffic congestion as well as
large proportion of accident cases
may be charged to the slow-moving
vehicle" Prof. Steinberg shows. "As
the speed of the vehicle materially
affects road capacity, it is possible
that one of the developments of the
future in the interest of safety and
highway efficiency may be a penalty
for not maintaining minimum as
well as for exceeding a maximum
speed.
Lighting Rural Highways.
Zone of the most recent experiment
al developments in the interest of
public safety is lighting the rural
highway at night. The greatest
menace Of night driving is the abund.
ance of glaring lights, which makes
driving at such times dangerous.
illumination is now In use
between Albany and Schenectady, on
the Lincoln Highway in Indiana, on
the motor causeway out Of Miami and
on some roads out of Detroit"
Attention Is also called TO the action
of the Bureau Of Public Roads in
with the State highway
deartments in adopting uniform stand.
ards for warning signs to be used
throughout the country. Hazards will
be indicated by signs which will be
in all States and which will