Evening star., 1939-04-28
New Agency 10 Map
Long.Range Highway
Program Proposed
Six Trunk Routes
Across U. S. Urged
BY Roosevelt
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
Chairman Cartwright of the House
Roads Committee proposed today
creation Of a new agency to begin a
long-range national highway pro-
gram, aimed at eventual construc-
ton of streamlined, transcontinental
highways.
Representative Cartwright said
his plan grew out of a Bureau of
Public Roads survey which Presi-
dent Roosevelt sent to Congress yes
terday. The President said the re-
port emphasized the need of new
highways ito meet the requirements
OF the national defense and the
needs Of growing peacetime traffic
Of longer range"
Under the Cartwright proposal,
a Federal Roads Authority could
acquire rights of way and establish
new through routes, as we'll as elm
mate existing highway "bottlenecks
and coordinate traffic in congested
areas.
Too Big for States.
"It's too big problem for the
Individual States to handle Mr..
Cartwright said. MY bill would pro-
vide for an Authority which would
have the same power of operation
as the T. v. A. to proceed, under
the right of eminent domain, with
a national program"
The bureaus report opposed i'm
mediate construction of six trans
continental. superhighway toll roads
suggested by several House members.
1t said such roads would not be
economically feasible or adequate
to meet traffic needs.
At the same time. however, the
bureau recommended 16 "interna-
tional routes" s of which conform
closely with suggestions by Repre-
sentatives Snyder. Democrat, of
Pennsylvania and Randolph. Demo-
crat, of West Virginia for three East
West and three North-South high
ways
The six were: New York to San
Francisco, Washington to Ell Paso,
jacksonville to Los Angeles, Fort
Kent, Me, to Miami. Chicago to
New Orleans and Seattle to San
Diego. The bureau recommended
however, that these routes should
incorporate existing highways.
ID. c. to Dalals Route.
The bureau plan also called for a
Washington to-Dallas highway by
way of Atlanta and Shreveport.
Representative Snyder said the
bureaus interregional route system
doesn't go as far as we do in the
vision of national building and the
requirements that thousands of peo-
pie must leave the cities"
He estimated the six super-high-
ways he proposed would induce TO-
100000 persons to move from the
cities to the highway routes in Is
years. In addition, he contended
manufacturing plants also would
''get out in the fresh air.
In his message accompanying the
bureau report, Mr.. Roosevelt aimed
q blow at what he termed unearned
profits accruing to owners of land
near newly-developed highways. He
suggested that the Government it.
self acquire wide strips of land on
either side Of the proposed roads,
.and sell or rent the property to pri-
waite interests when its value had
been enhanced by construction of
the roads.
The President said the report
pointed to the need of a special
system of direct, inter-regional
highways, with all necessary con-
nections through and around cities"
AS a substitute for immediate SUI
perhighways, the Roads Bureau pro-
posed this f1ve-point program:
Construction Of the inter-regional
highways. modernization of the
present Federal-aid highway sys-
tenn; elimination of grade crossing
hazards, improvement of secondary
and feeder roads, and creation of the
Federal agency to acquire rights-of-
way for highway and street improve
ments.