Milford chronicle., 1939-01-20
DOWN THE ROAD
BY Charles NJ. Upham
Engineer-Director
American Road Builders Associ-
alton. Washington. D. G.
HIGHWAYS OF TOMORROW

HI6HhA1S OF IOMOkhUh
A new year. new prosperity, &
new Congress and a promise of legis'
lation for new and safer highways.
Those who forecast with care and
the most usual accuracy predict for
1899 a boom for all kinds of business
! Capital will emerge from long hiding
+ in the dark recesses OF fear of ex-
( pansion." Industry is going to hire
! more men. The number of unemploy-
ed will decline. The average pay
check will be bigger. Store sales will
reach a new high. More homes will
be built than in any other year dur
ing the past decade. More kitchens
will be equipped with electrical re-
frigeration. ACKNOWLEDGING units
will become as commonplace as the
electric fan. Rural electrification will
be extended. More homes will know
the enjoyment of radio, with televis-
ion practically a certainty. More
families will own automobiles. More,
better and safer highways will be
built to sufficiently serve this in
ClGdCtu u dAANs
The highways OF tomorrow are al
ready on the drafting tables of Amer
ica's highway engineers. The roads
of the future being planned by Amer
ica's road builders include safety
features that will make them as near
accident-proof as is humanity pos
sible. The highways of tomorrow are
also in the minds of public-spirited
Congressman and Senators returning
to Washington for the opening of the
18th Congress. These lawmakers are
They achieved office through the
faith of the people in that promise.
Like convincing an actress that she
has grown too old for girlish roles, it
has taken long time to make the
public realize that many of America s
roads are obsolete and unsafe. Now
the public is demanding a system
of better and safer roads. The pub
lie has indicated the seriousness and
forcefuIness of its demand by the
passage of a constitutional amend
ment i'm seven states outlawing for
all time the practice of diverting or
misapprOpriating highway-user tax
funds to non-highway purposes.
It is only natural. therefore. to as
sumo that legislation will be intro
duced in the new Congress that will
provide for the construction Of super
roads in those sections and between
certain metropolitan areas where
traffic congestion and too numerous
accidents demand particular atten-
ton.
TOmOrrow's highways will be free
ways. Multiple-lane highways will
he constructed with center parkways
to separate opposing streams of traf-
fc.\ Highway illumination will be
provided for the most heavily travel
led arteries. Steep grades will be
Ievelled and sharp curves will be
Grade crossings and
blind intersections will be eliminated.
Guard rail protection and pedestrian
walkways will be provided where ur-
,ently needed and all surfaces will
)e skidproofed. Iighway-traffic acci-
tents. which took 10000 lives in 1887.
sill be reduced at least fifty per cent
when this modern super-program is
,ut into effect. These Super-high-
ways of tomorrow will be built as
parts of a master plan SO
hat i'm the future it will be possible
o incorporate them into nationwide
ystem.
1899 will be year of progress. Its
will provide added
omfort and convenience for Ameri-
as 1SO.O00,0O0 citizens. One of its
most important achievements will be
he beginning of complete system
f better roads over which Americas
0 200. 900 highway users will be able
D travel with added certainty and
,fo ]