Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-06
SUPERROAD NEED
is HELD DISTANT
Careful Survey Is Urged Be-
fore Rushing Into Promis-
rcuous Building Program.

Proraiscuous building of superhigh-
ways is shown to be ill-advised IN a
summary Of traffic statistics dealing
with highway planning by the Amer
lean Road Builders Association.
Instead, the association finds need Of
greater activity over the entire net
work of the Nations roads, with all con-
struction preceded by careful survey
of the present traffic facll1tles ana It's
future requirements.
Regional planning is urged for all
centers Of traffic density. Such plan
ming would indicate whether present
roadways should be reconstructed to
great width, or whether the construc-
ton of more arterial highways over
new routes would be most advisable.
Over the majority of State and coun-
tH highway mileage. two-lane surface,
of 20-ft. width, is thought to offer ade-
quate provision for traffic OF the next
10 or IS years. A right Of way Of 100
feet is favored and this would permit
of eventual widening of the Travelled
way.
Present System Held Adequate.
The summary was made from a Ma
tion-wide survey of rural and metro
politan traffic areas, traffic origins and
concentration, roadway widths and
rights of way and light and heavy We
hicle traffic.
1t was founG that the necessity does
hot exist at the present time for the
construction of systems of wide high
ways throughout the country. Except
In comparatively small areas, such VOL
tunes of traffic do not now exist and
will not during the next is or 20 years,
at least.
In a State as a whole there is no
necessity, therefore, of planning an ulti-
mate right of way in excess of 100 feet
or a roadway surface width in excess
Of 40 feet whether single or dual
strip pavement is involved. On the
great majority fthe mileage, for long
period of years, even these widths will
not be required.
This statement is based on the exist
ing traffic and predicted future traffic
on the State and county highways Of
Wisconsin, the northeastern section OF
Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania. Maryland,
Virginia, Connecticut, Vermont, New
Hampshire and Maine. The highways
in these areas form cross section Of
the highway and traffic conditions in
all States.
Four years ago in Ohio there were
approximately IL 900 miles in the State
highway system of which only 13l
vehicles per day, including passenger
cars, motor trucks and motor BUSES.
The same relative conditions are found
in other areas.
The proportionate mileage carrying a
volume of traffic requiring extraordi-
nary pavement widths and design is
limited to comparatively small areas,
around the larger cities.
If the traffic trends based upon the
last IL years are any indication of fu-
ture growth, it can be safely said that
on the bulk of the State and county
highway mileage during the next 10 or
is years construction can be largely
confined to the provision of two-lane
surfaces.
10-Foot Lane Is Standard.
A two-lane surface, 20 feet wide, will
carry 5000 vehicles day at a speed of
80 miles an hour. These figures take
into consideration the normal amount
OF motor truck and motor bus traffic
and are based upon actual research
studies dealing with trafflc volume,
traffic speed, and pavement width.
Pavement widths are thought of in
terms of traffic lanes with general
agreement on the 10-foot lane as stand
ard. Odd numbers of lanes are falling
into disfavor.
Reasonable standards Of width of
rights of way are considered as fol-
lows:
Local roads, two lanes for traffic, plus
parking, Sc to Sc feet; primary and
secondary trunk lines in well settled
communities, four lanes, plus parking
100 feet: primary highways, six lanes
plus parking, 100 feet; superhighways
with provision for high-speed motor
traffic Senaratpd from 1OcaI traffic IN
lanes and four parking strips, 200 feet;
special snow-belt trunk highways, two
lanes, with provision for permanent
snow fence and protective planting
within the right of way, $50 feet to
300 feet.