Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-03

in new Federal revenues. in addi-
ton to taxes already in effect.
The major differences between
the House and Senate versions in
wolves the method of distributing
funds for interstate highways
among the States. The Senate
would like to base the ALLEGATIONS
on States population, mileage Of
rural free delivery routes, and area.
House members would prefer allot-
ting the money according to cost
estimates drafted by State highway
commissions. These estimates-they
are guesses more than they are esti-
mates-are inaccurate in almost
every case. For example, New Jer-
sey put its need at Sc million a mile,
while neighhoring PENNSYLVANIA
listed only 100000 a mile. The
Senate formula is the one most
likely to prevail.
The bill, which President Eisen-
hover will be anxious to sign into
law, will become effective on July
l, the beginning of the 1857 fiscal
year. The taxes to support the
program viii go into effect on the
same day.
This great project will literally
change the face Of the Nation.
Replacing the jerry-built two
lane roads that were first laid along
Indian trails and cattle paths will
be thoroughfares four to eight lanes
wide, straight as light and unclut-
tered by hamburger stands, rnotels
and gas stations. Most of the road
way in the interstate system will
have only controlled access by
cloverleafs and ramps designed to
keep traffic flowing while permitting
safe entrance and exit.
Overpasses will traverse high
ways at the sites of now deadly in
tersections. Traffic will speed
through cities on throughways, or
around them on belt roads, at so
miles an hour. New. wide bridges
will replace spans that were built
for the Model T and chain-driven
trucks. No longer will so per cent
OF the Nations traffic be crowding,
creeping along per cent of the to-
tai highway mileage, of which only
one mile in six is adequate for to-
days needs.
What Will 1t Neon?
What will our grand new system
OF highways mean to Americans?
The meaning, the worth of it all.
will be measured differently by diff
ferent people.
The average motorist may be in
clined to look first at the meas
urable, initial cost, which to him
Will amount to about $3.50 a year
more in taxes. But there are say
ings. and they are unreasonable.
Because roads will be safer, he will
pay less in insurance premiums
as 1t is, he pays more for a policy
to protect himself against accident
than he pays IN State fuel and IL
cense taxes. His operating costs
will average cent a mile less on
the uncongested roads-and all the
average drivers will save a total of
$5.3 billion dollars the first year
the complete system is in opera
ton.
1t will mean a yearly saving of
an estimated $500 lives that now
are taken by six-degree curves, mar
row bridges and crowded intersec-
tons. For instance. the program
will straighten the curve at the
bridge crossing the Illinois River on
U. S. Route "a in Oklahoma, where
James E. Wallace Of Tulsa was
killed on March 81. 1949. 1t will
widen U. S. 2 in Vermont, where a
whole family was killed near Miles
Pond three years ago. It will mean
a safer. easier journey for the chill
dren who ride to school on u. S. II
near Brunswick. Ga. And nearer
home, it will mean the retirement
OF that fatal stretch Of U. S. / at
Triangle. Va, % miles south of
Washington.
1t will mean a new prosperity
for many industries. For every adj
ditional ST. billion spent on high
ways, the demand for explosives
will be increased by 4 per cent.
That same billion dollars will in
crease the demand for concrete
PAYERS and spreaders, patching
plants. finishing machines, truck
mixers, and bituminous spreaders,
PAYERS and flnishers by SIC million.
There will be a tremendous de-
mand, too. for structural and REIN
forcement steel, cement, sand,
gravel. lumber. bitunninous n,ato-