Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
In the Motor World
BY q. ADAMS HOWARD.

! which Detroit is located, a COM
prehenSive program of separating
highways and SuperhighwayS at
their intersections has been I'M
dertaken, the Michigan-Southf1eld
SuperhighWay grade separation
being perhaps the first and larg-
est of it's kind.
The project involves the con-
Struction of five concrete bridges
and a channel change of the
River Rouge. Both interSecting
highways have two strips of 40
foot concrete pavement separated
by an 84-foot esplanade. Two of
the bridges will carry the Mich
igan Superhighway over the
Southfield superhighway. A third
will separate the Michigan Cen
trail Railroad tracks and the
Southfield superhighway, while
the two remaining bridges will
carry the Southf1eld Superhigh-
way over River Rouge in it's new
channel 500 feet away from the
existing course of the stream.
Left turns will be entirely elimi-
mated in the diversion of traffic,
allowing uninterrupted movement
along either of the SuperhighwayS.
Ample pavement widths, consist
ent with possible future needs are
provided. At superhighway cross
ingS, such as the Southfield-Mich
igan separation, the upper road
way is carried on a bridge of four
spans. The lower roadway passes
through the two outside openings.
The roadwayS have a clear width
of 80 feet and the sidewalks 10
feet. Corner drives diverting
traffic from one Superhighway to
the other will be paved 36 feet
wide.
New York Plans.
The Westminster County Park
Commission of New York is now
engaged in building and perfect
ing one of the largest park and
parkway systems in the world.
The county has already built
many miles of parkways of ade-
quate width and type which are
serving as relief arteries for other
important trunk line highways in
the county. Traffic on these trunk
line highways is tremendous, be-
ing In some instances as much as
4O, 600 vehicles day.
Notable among the relief thor
oughfares already developed are
the Hutchinson River and Saw
Mill River parkwayS. The out
standing feature of their develop
ment is the elimination of grade
crossings at all principal inter-
secting highways. Already many
miles are free from grade cross
ingS. Eventually the entire length
OF these parkWayS will be sepa-
rated from important intersect-
ing arteries with reinforced con-
crete structures.
Self-preservation should be ma
lures first law. Automobile &C
cident statistics, however, indi-
cate that thousands of motor
vehicle operators drive over the
highways only semi-conscious of
the existing dangers at railway
and highway intersections. In
train operation caution is the first
AVooOAA W1llI1l CfCly CIllpIOye UluSG
master. Motor vehicle operators,
however, are turned loose upon
the highways by the thousands
without the slightest regard as to
their ability and experience in OBJ
serving the rules of caution.
Safety must, therefore, be built
into the highway. Large volumes
of traffic on main thoroughfares
cannot meet on the same level
with an appreciate degree Of
safety. stop and Go" lights serve
as a partial remedy, but they
breed congestion. Congestion re-
duces the highway capacity and
tremendously increases traffic de-
lays and transportation costs.
The only safe solution to the prob
lem is a separation of grades at
the intersection "a permanent
structure of adequate proportion.
Washington should not let
Michigan and New York get too
far ahead.