Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-02
SYSTEMATIZED HIGHWAY
T. ROUTE NOW A REALITY
Federal Roads Bureau Announces Task
of Designing Uniform Plans for
L. Autoists Is Complete

| An outstanding transcontinental
thoroughfare Is route No. 40. which
connects the Atlantic with the Pacific
coast. With Atlantic City, n. j., as
its Eastern terminus. it passes
through Wilmington. Del; Baltimore
Md; Hagerstown, Md; Uniontown and
Washington, Pa; Wheeling, w, Va,
Columbus, Ohio; Springfield, Ohio
] Indianapolis, Ind; Terre Haute, Ind.
st. Louis, Mo-; Kansas City, Mo-.
Topeka, Kans.; Denver, Colo; Salt
Lake City, Utah; Winnemucca and
Reno. New. and Sacramento to San
Francisco. Calf. Spanning the breadth
of the Nation, closely following the
fortieth parallel and intersecting both
the center of continental area and the
center Of population, it might in one
sense well be named the Main street"
of America.
Through Colorado, route No. 40
passes through the most majestic
Rocky Mountain scenery, crossing
Berthod and Rabbit Ears passes at
an elevation of more than II 1000 feet;
! thence through the Uinta Basin of
the Wasatch range to Salt Lake,
across the Great Salt Lake desert over
the famous Wendover Cutoff; it
| traverses the Sierra Nevada range
!
| into the Sacramento Valley. For eight
| months of the year it should be an
attractive route for transcontinental
| touring.
Routes No. 80 and No. 101 are
pointed to as examples of selections
conforming to topography. The
| former, following the Sacramento
Valley and San Joachim Valley, is
separated from No. 1O1 by the Coast
Range. Highway No. 81, from Great
| Falls. Mont, to Daggett, Calif.c Is
another thoroughfare cited as one
| following an obvious passageway.
| This route partly is the old Arrowhead
| trail. Route No. 81, running from
Pembina, n. OAK, to Laredo, Tex,
traverses the so-called Meridian High
way north and south on the mid
continental line.
An important route is No. 81, which
originates at Grand Portage, Mich,
and runs to New Orleans, following
the Mississippi River from st. Paul
down the western shore and, crossing
to the east side over the Memphis
Bridge, continues along the Father
of Waters to the Crescent City.
Chicago to Los Angeles.
Another route of more than ordinary
significance is No. Sc, with its Eastern
end at Chicago and its Western
terminus at Los Angeles. 1t forms
direct connection between the more
than 5000 900 residents of Cook
County and 100000 jewellers in the
land of sunshine.
A diagonal route open virtually the
entire year is route No. IL. This
follows a southwesterly course from
Rouses Point, N. Y, through Syracuse,
N. Y; Scranton and Harrisburg, Pa;
Winchester, Va; Lexington and
Bristol, KY. Knoxville and Chat
tanooga. Tenn; Birmingham, Ala;
Meridian and Hattiesburg, Miss.
where it joins route No. 80 at Pearl
River. Miss. Thence the course of
the traveller passes through New
Orleans and west over route No. 80,
through Houston, San Antonio and
Ell PaSo, Tex. and thence over route
No. 80, through Las Cruces and
Lordsburg, n. Mex; Phoenix, Douglas
and Yuma, Ariz., and Ell Centre to
San Diego, Calf.
The history of this road synchroniz-
ing movement is interesting.
1t was in November 1924, that the
Secretary of Agriculture was request
ed to appoint a joint board on inter
state highways, to consist of State and
Federal officials, to consider the mat
ter of systematiZing and report to the
American Association of Highway
officials. Prior to that time the prof.
ect had been given considerable study
by the State highway officials individ-
ually, but virtually nothing of a CO.
ordinated nature was accomplished.
The joint board, appointed in Febru-
airy, 1925, held group meetings in vari-
Gus parts of the country and the rec
concentrations Of the various States
harmonized at State lines.
With the acceptance of its report
the joint board was dissolved and pro-
vision made whereby the executive
committee of the American Associa-
ton of Highway Officials was en-
powered to make such minor adjust
ments as would inevitably arise in an
undertaking of this magnitude. Dur
ing 1926 the executive committee func-
toned in this respect, with the result
that their recommendations finally
were accepted at the annual meeting
OF the association at Pinehurst, n. c.,
November Il. Thus, the United States
interstate highway system became a
fact.
Fund Allotment Unaffected.
The United States highway system
comedies with the Federal-aid system
throughout and in no way will affect
the allotment of Federal.afd funds to
the construction of the individual
projects on that system as previously
approved.
With the adoption Of standard road
markers, it was inevitable that the
series of signs for this purpose should
be expanded to include series of
caution. danger, direction signs and
miscellaneous international signs. A
subcommittee on signs was appointed
to consider report upon this i'm
portant feature of road marking. The
committee went into the matter ex-
haustively, consulting with numerous
highway safety organizations, sign
! manufacturers and individuals inter
ested in safety measures.
The general scheme adopted con-
sists of five distinct shapes and en-
ploys but three colors. The route
marker consists of a United States
shield. 13A inches by Is inches, and
will carry in the union" the State
name, while below is displayed the
United States route number. The rail-
road crossing sign consists of a
circular plate "a inches in diameter,
with the initials "RR" and one bar
for a single track and two bars for
multiple.track crossings.
Caution signs, where the potential
danger is such that inheres in the
road itself, as might be anticipated at
a bad curve or narrow bridge, is IN
, dictated by a 24x24inch diamond.
/ shaped sign. Where the hazard is non
| inherent, such as might be encounter
| ed at crossroads or In the vicinity of
| a school, 24x24!nch square plaque,
! carrying the appropriate legend, has
| been designed.
| The stop" sign is octagonal in
! shane with tho uyord "StoV'' in tho