Evening star., 1939-05-14
NEWS OF THE MOTORING WORLD
S. Bureau of Public Roads Stresses Need New Roads, but
Discourages Toll Proposals

transcontinental travel. The system
could be expected to serve ade-
quately only that portion of the
traffic having origin and destina-
ton close to one of the six routes.
Access to the highways would have
to be controlled both for collection
of tolls and to prevent interference
with flow of traffic by entering We
hicles. Vehicles travelling distances
less than the spacing of access points
would not use the toll roads.
1t is estimated that the utilizat ton
of the system would average, dur
ing the period 1945-196O, 12,450,0
vehicle-miles per day. Assuming toll
charges of l cent per vehicle-mile
for passenger vehicles and an av-
erage of 3.5 cents per vehicle-mile
for trucks and busses, this travel
would produce an average annual
revenue of $72 100000. This is con-
siderably less than the $184,054 900
estimated average annual cost and
leads the bureau to conclude that
the system studied could not be
supported by toll collections.
The portion of the proposed sys-
tenn estimated to be most nearly
self-supporting is the 172 miles from
point near Philadelphia, Pa, to
a point near New Haven, Conn.
With the increase in traffic expected
by 1860, this portion of the system
would earn slightly more than the
estimated cost for that year.
The report states: "If, as an
actual test of the feasibility of a
limited mileage of toll roads, it is
the desire of the Congress to make
provision for the construction of a
section Of highway of substantial
length upon which there is a rea-
sonable prospect of the recovery of
the costs through tolls. it is recon-
mended that such provision be made
applicable to a section of highway,
properly located, and extending from
an appropriate point near Wash
ington, D. c., to an appropriate
point near Boston, Mass"
The report recommends the con-
struction of a special system of
direct interregional highways, with
all necessary connections through
and around cities, designed to meet
the requirements of the national
defense in time of war and the
needs of growing peace-time traf-
fic OF longer range. A system of
such roads, including 26700 miles,
has been tentatively selected on the
basis of the detailed traffic data
available. Existing main highways
can be modernized to form a large
part of the system, but some new
highways will be needed to provide
directness of travel Although these
roads represent less than l per cent
of the total mileage of rural roads.
the bureau estimates they would
serve, when improved as indicated
at least 1875 per cent of the total
rural vehicle mileage.
More complete information on the
character of traffic in and near cities
than has heretofore been available
is presented. Traffic maps in the
report show that about 80 per cent
Of the traffic on main highways near
the entrances to large cities is bound
to or from points in cities them
selves and cannot be bypassed
around them 1t is found that a
large part of the traffic is destined
to or bound from points in the
very heart of the city or points
most conveniently reached by going
through the center of the city.
There is great need the report
indicates. for express highways cut
directly into and through the CEN
ter of the big cities. These are
needed not only for service of the
through traffic delivered by the
main rural highways, but also for
the daily in-and-out movement Of
local traffic between the downtown
section and suburbs centering about
the main highways at the periphery
of the city
The West Side highway and
Henry Hudson Parkway in New
York. and the recently constructed
express highway in st. Louis are
cited as early examples of such
facilities. The provision of similar
facilities in Pittsburgh is now re-
ceiving serious consideration.
BY preference such express high
ways should be constructed as at
tractively Handicapped depressed
thoroughfares passing under all
cross streets.
Bypasses - the remedy usually