The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-07-22
Direct East West Super
Road Advocated ForNC.

lima and of course the water haul
for southbound traffic is much
less. For the Atlantic ports south
of North Carolina the rail haul is
Usually greater and on account of
the direction Of the coast inward
south of North Carolina and then
outward again at the Florida pen
insular the water haul is seldom
less, These North Carolina ports
have practically every other natu-
raj advantage, but they lack rail
lines extending far enough and di-
rectly enough to the west. BY con-
trast Hampton Roads - Norfolk,
Portsmouth and Newport News
have such great railroads as the
Norfolk & Western, the Chesa-
peake Ohio and the Virginian.
In view of the growing interest
of the federal government in pub
&lic works projects of gigantic pro-
portions such as the Tennessee
Valley development, the great n.y.
dro-electric power and irrigation
dams in the far west and the pro-
posed developmen in the Missis-
sippi and Missouri valleys and the
inter-regional super highways sys-
tenn to be built after the war. it
would seem proper that the fed
eral government build or sUbsidize
the building of such needed links
in our rail system as the three l
have mentioned to run westward
ly out of North Carolina to con-
meet with existing lines in Vir-
g1nia and Tennessee. While it is
difficult to understand why, the
railroads have shown no inclina-
ton to undertake these projects.
Air Lines
Recently the Civil Aeronautics
Board has held hearings for sew
eral weeks at Sedgefield inn, near
Greensboro, to take evidence upon
which to base ALLEGATIONS of air.
lines in the Southeast and l don't
recall any proposal of a main line
or trunkline direct from the Mid
west into this area although I be-
lieve one carrier did propose a
feeder line from Greensboro into
Bristol, Va, or some other point
in that area.
understand that it is likely that
the Pennsylvania Central will re-
sumo flights from Norfolk through
Greensboro and Asheville to Knox
vile after the war and that
main line or trunk-line from De-
troit to Florida through Green's
boro will be established and al
located to one of the great ar
lines systems, but the latter will
probably come southwardly by
way of Washington several hun
dred miles too far to the east and
from which we already have East
ern Air Lines while the former
comes from Norfolk instead Of
Wilmington. What we need in
line direct from Wilmington north
westwardly through Greensboro to
Cincinnati or Louisville and on to
Detroit or Chicago and possibly
St. Louis.
y Super-Highways
Announcement was made in the
Daily News of July l of the tenta-
tive designation and approval by
the North Carolina State Highway
and Public Works Commission Of
North Cardinals portions of the
federal inter-regional super high
way system to be built shortly aft
er the war, the entire national sys-
tenn to cost billions of dollars. At
present it is proposed to build one
of these super-highways in the
eastern part of the state from the
Virginia line enthusiastically
through Rocky Mount, Wilson and
Fayetteville to the South Carolina
line, another from the Virginia
line northeast of Henderson south
westwardly through Henderson,
Oxford, Durham, Burlington and
Greensboro. From Greensboro
there are two routes southwest
wardly, one through Winston-Sa-
lem, Statesville, Hickory and Nor
canton into Asheville and from
Asheville Mort h Westwardly tc
Knoxville. and the other from
A s h v lie enthusiastically to
Greensboro enthusiastically to
High Point, Salisbury, Concord,
Charlotte and through Gastonia to
the South Carolina line and on to
Spartanburg and Atlanta.
From Asheville there is also a
route enthusiastically to the South
Carolina line and on to Charles
ton. This last route is the lower
end Of the route from Knoxville
and extends on enthusiastically to
the Midwest Charleston, South
Carolina, then is to be the termi-
nus of a federal super-highway
ENTHUSIASTICALLY TO the Midwest.
Norfolk, Virginia, is also to be the
terminus of a federal super-high-
way enthusiastically to the Mid
west. Virginia to the north of us
and South Carolina to the south
of us is each to have a northwest
southeast federal inter-regional SUI
per-highway feeding it's chief port.
but the entire North Carolina coast
is to be ignored.
The objection has been made
hat the existing grades on roads
through western Virginia and West
Virginia are so steep that the trac'
tors pulling heavy freight trailers