Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-02

highways has become a realitV
Announcement by the Federal
~ Bureau of Public Roads of the
final location of the United
States system of highways marks
the completion of the task of design
ing uniform road plan that will be
national in scope and uniformly iden-
titled.
The credit is due chiefly to a SPLEEN
did broad-visioned cooperation by the
various States, with the Federal Gov
eminent serving as a harmonizing
factor
What appeared to be motoring
plpe-dream few years ago has taken
place in the numerical designation of
approximately $4,000 miles of high
ways into q vast network connecting
Z every section of the country lying
between the Atlantic and the Pacific
Oceans and the Canadian and Mex
lean borders.
The United States system of high
ways. recommended by road officials of
all the States and approved by the
American Association of State High
way Officials, places on an orderly
basis enough mileage to enable a citi-
zen of New York, let us say to travel
TO Illinois. Oklahoma or the State of
Washington free from the confusion
Of conflicting signs that bear variety
of road names.
22 States Erect Markers
Uniformity prevails in the new Ma
tion-wide system and makes possible
travel over highways that are linked
together into we'll related plan and
marked according to a scheme adopt
ed by the States.
Already % States have erected the
standard road markers, and the Unit
ed States shield with it's distinguished
numbers henceforth will guide the
motorist. OF the remaining States
20 VIII complete their marking
by the end of the 1927 touring season.
With this system in effect, existing
ambiguity of marking and duplica-
ton of routes, which has been the de-
spair of the motorist in the past, will
be entirely removed, and familiarity
with even the shape of the sign view
ed from its reverse side at least will
inform the tourist that he is on a
trunk line.
No trouble should be experienced
by the motorist in planning his trips.
Responsible map publishers are issu-
ing maps indicating the United States
system. With one of these, the tour
tst readily can find the numbers COW
ering the various routes in his pro-
geCl6Q anu ShcICA Ills Zip al
simple numerical terms rather than
in a confusing .admixture of color
bands and symbols.
Uniformity has been the keynote of
the new system, which has been built
around an adroitly devised grid of
through roads running north and
south combined with others following
east-and-west directions. The main
transcontinental routes are numbered
- &;x,1a %
ten, The north-and-south routes are
given odd numbers, as | q. 81. etc.
Routes Interpolated
Routes carrying SUI, numbers as 2.
4. 6, %, have been interpolated be-
tween the larger trunk lines as their
economic values have dictated Thus
No. 6, from Cape Cod to Erie, Pa.
supplies a highly desirable connection
through northern Pennsylvania with
No. 20 and avoids to a great extent
The congestion on the Mohawk Valley
routes of New York State.
There also are many connections and
cross-over routes introduced to give
access to centers of population from
less important or more remote points.
These are so designated that their
relation to the trunk line is indicated
by pref1xing a third digit to the trunk
une NUMBER. 1ypledl1y, NJ Al 10 llle
trunk line extending from Rouse
Point, n. Y. by way of Syracuse and
the Shenandoah Valley to New Or
icons, and No. 81 supplies the cross
over from Roanoke, Va, to Route No.
at Aberdeen. n. c.
Similarly, No. 240 supplies the nec-
essary connection between Washing
ton, d. c., and route No. 40, at Fred
erick, Md. In some instances. the in.
T. n
TO distinguish obvious routes, as Route
40 North or 40 South in Kansas.
So comprehensively has the work
of selecting highways for incorpora-
ton in the system been accomplished
that apparently every section of the
country will be served adequately
without appreciate further modifi-
cation.
With the constantly expanding pro:
gram of highway construction, the
need of harmonizing interstate con-
nections became apparent. because
only when they were so interlocked
would they be appropriately marked
On a standardized form.
Two Years If Work.
AS it now stands, the United States
Highway System represents the
thought of State highway officials and
the Federal Bureau of Public Roads
and has required almost two years to
reach the point where mapping is
complete.
Paper highways and organiza-
1ions which exist only for pronnotional
purposes has created maze of
routes that have become the bane of
the long-distance tourist. While high
way officials are not shouting it from
housetops. it is known that one pur-
pose of the numbered highway scheme
1t to ban the frequently profitable
project of laying out a highway that
often never gets much beyond the
pen of the sketch maker.
These are the main transcontinen.
tai routes:
East and west
No. 10, Detroit to Seattle.
No. 20. Boston to east entrance of
Yellowstone National Park.
NO. 80, Atlantic City, \. j.. to AS
toria, Ore.
No. 30, Atlantic City TO San Fran,
cisco.
NO. so, Annapolis, Md. to Sacra-
pento. Calf
No. Sc, Chicago to Los Angeles.
No. 20, Beaufort, y. C., to Holbrook,
Ariz.
No. so, Savannah. Ga, to San Diego,
Calf.
No. 80, Jacksonville. Fla, 10 Van
Horn Tex.
North and south.
NO. l, Fort KEN, Me, to Miami,
Fla.
30. II. Rouse Point, n. Y, to New
Orleans.
NO. q, Cleveland, Ohio, to Jackson
Vile, Fla.
No. 81, Mackinaw Straits, Mich, to