Evening star., 1928-05-13
TRANSCONTINENTAL HIGHWAY
BILL GETS STRONG SUPPORT
Rathbone's Proposal for
Rapid. Transit Road Backed
by Many interests.
Measure Asks President to
Name Commission to
Select Route.

Strong support from all parts Of ths
country is bcirg registered with mcm-
bers OF Congress for carly passage oI
the bin introduced by Representative
Henry II. Rathhonc. Republican oi
Illinois providing for the construction
OF transcontiu2rtal artcrial rapid
transit highway. which will adequately
serve the already immense and growing
traffic and travel of the Nation.
This is to be post road and mill
tary highway from point on or neal
the Atlantic Coast to a point on or neal
tho Pacific Coast"
In reply to hundreds of letters OF
inquiry and in explaining his bill to
colleagues in the House who have also
received flood of inquiries about the
proposition, Representative Rathb0nC
said that he asks Congress to authorize
thu President to appoint special COM
mission to recommend the route.
He was prompted to introduce this
measure by appreciation of the fact
that the requirements Of transportation
IN tho United States are growing In
leaps and bounds,
Every thinking person" he saws
must now realize the mistakes Of the
past. which have resulted from too nar-
APN u 1OllAtIfbAoil VA WI (ONtttA9 esalAl Ito
needs.
we can learn this lesson from the
public buildings. many of which we're
inadequate before their completion. end
especially from our highway sySts m.
now so corgested. that the problem Of
TRANSPORTATION has become one of tho
greatest that confronts the Nation The
number of motor vehicles and the null
titude Of passengers and tho volume Of
commerce that they carry are beyond
the widest dreams OF men few years
ago. Let us open our eyes and squarelv
face the urgent needs of the Nation
for improved facilities of transportation.
Need Arterial Highways.
1T is generally agreed that arterial
highways in our cities have become
necessary end are the best means of
taking care OF through travel. Such
travel should not b. too grcatlv ham,
pered by speed regulation or other re-
striction. This bill seeks 10 carry out
this principle. which has proven 10 be
so successful locally, on a nationwide
scale.
THE construction of such trans
continental highway as this bill con-
templates would not only make auto
travel much more expeditions. but
would prevent many accidents It has
been estimated that $4,000 persons are
killed or injured In automobile acci-
dents every yenr in the United Statcs.
a greater number than died or we're
wounded in the battle of Gettysburg
Much Of this annual toll of accidents
is due to collisions at an angle These
would be avoided by the one-way travel
which would be the rule on such a
highway
Traffic by trucks and travel by auto
mobiles should be segregated. as far as
possible, and this could and would be
done upon roadway of the breadth
contemplated In this bill II might well
be that four or six lanes Of travel would
be provided for The two center ones
would be devoted TO trucks travelling In
opposite directions. The outer lanes
would be used by automobiles and there
would be no such thing as vehicles
meeting or passing each other on the
road. while going In opposite directions.
Delays and annoyances occaSioned by
trucks using the same roadway would
Of course. be obviated. As the autonlo-
biles would use the outer lanes an un-
ohstructed view Of the scenery and
passing objects could be obtained.
study of whole Problem.
The bill has In view a significant
study OF the whole problem. which I
believe is much needed. The question
of the proper development of our high
ways has become national one. It
Is no longer and ir1trastate problem,
but an interstate problem
Travel by automobiles has hereto
fore been greatly handicapped by the
differences In construction OF roads by
the various States. A stretch of good
road Is connected with a bad stretch in
another State or locality. No common
plan has been followed and there has
been but little cooperation and CO.
ordination between the various States
in giving TO the travelling public a
a nationwide good road system.
Again. the military value Of such an
ocean-to-ocean highway would be i'm
mense. Such a roadway could be fit
tingly compared 10 the Panama Canal
as providing for our national defense.
The Panama Canal permits our feet to
be kept together and 10 be sent either
TO the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. ac-
cording TO the direction from which an
attack might come. The sane thing
would be true Of such a highway. which
would permit our armed forces to be
transported in the shortest possible time
from any part Of the country to the
point OF attack
This roadway would also be Of great
service In times Of emergency and sud-
den calamity. such as an earthquake,
food. fire or the like.
Travel upon this highway will be
greatly expedited for the further rea-
son that The road win avoid all cities
Of any considerable size. although 1t Is
likely 10 pass close 10 many OF them.
II is we'll known that one Of the princi-
.sat za,,0na Of anf@w fYa at1t1RF4nfa4ta nt