Evening star., 1939-05-30
Cartwright Discusses
SuperhighwayP|an
On Radio Forum
House Committee Head
Talks on Roods Bureaus
TrunscontinentoI Project

Representative Wi1burn Cart
wright, Democrat, of Oklahoma,
chairman of the House Committee
on Roads, discussed the transcon-
tinental highway proposals embodied
in the recent Bureau of Public Roads
report last night in the National
Radio Forum, arranged by The Star
and broadcast over a Nation wide
network of the National Broadcast
ing Co. The text of his address
follows:
I appreciate this opportunity to
talk to the National Radio Forum
audience about our highway prob
lens and plans for future road i'm
provement.
On April 27 President Roosevelt
transmitted to Congress, and rec
commended for its consideration, a
report entitled Toll Roads and Free
Roads" This report is the most
complete assembly of facts on high
way use and the most comprehensive
discussion of the highway problems
OF the entire country that has ever
been made available Both rural
and city problems are discussed. 1t
Is report that should be of great
interest to every citizen, since we
are all highway users in one way or
another. We are also concerned
about highways because of the part
they play in the distribution of
almost every article we eat, wear
or use.
The Subject of the Report.
The report was prepared under
the direction of Thomas H. Mac
Donald, chief of the Bureau of Pub
lie Roads, as required by Congress-
Section 13 of the Hayden Cartwright
Act Of 1898 directed the chief of the
bureau to investigate and report
with respect to the feasibility of
building and cost of superhighWays
not exceeding three in number run
ming in a general direction from
the Eastern to the Western portion
of the United States, and not ex-
ceeding three in number running
from the Northern to the Southern
portion of the United States, in
cluding the feasibility of a toll sys-
tenn on such roads"
For several years there had been
an increasing number of visionary
proposals by advocates of elaborate
coast to-coaSt SuperhighWay net
works, with more and more agita-
ton for congressional action, but
there had been no thorough ANALYSIS
OF the actual and potential volume
OF transcontinental travel, and not
much factual factors. We now have
the facts which were heretofore
lacking.
The bureau has made a painstak-
Ing and thorough investigation of
sytsem of toll roads as required. 1t
finds that such a system would not
be self-supporting through tolls and
would not meet the most important
highway needs of the country. 1t
has prepared traffic maps and other
data, showing for the first time
traffic conditions over the country
as a whole and, based on these, it
has prepared what may be called
master plan for future highway i'm
provement. These plans and data
the President has recommended for
the consideration of Congress as a
basis for needed action to solve our
highway problems. And since Con-
gress has requested this special re-
port 1t is sure to be given serious
consideration as pointing the way to
Americas primary road system of
the future.
Six Routes Studied.
In studying the feasibility of
toll system, the bureau selected six
routes, located in accordance with
the terms of the act and aggregat-
Ing 1886 miles. The routes were
placed closely paralleling the exist
Ing routes of heaviest travel. State
highway departments co-operated in
liking the locations and in estimat-
Ing costs Four-lane, divided high
ways were planned where the traffic
was estimated to average as much as
1,500 vehicles per day by 1850 On
II per cent of the system only two
lanes were required. The plan con-
templated separation of grades at
all highway and railroad intersec-
tions. All features of the highways
were designed for a free and un-
interrupted flow of traffic.
The cost of constructing such a
system would be about $4,000, 900 900,
which is about 100000 per mile. The
annual cost of financing and con-
structlon and of maintaining and
operating the toll highways would
be Sl2840 per mile.
A number of facts led to the con-
cluSlon that only a small portion