Milford chronicle., 1959-01-30

and planned BY the State Highway
Department
Any changes In elevations, thai
would be OF benefit to the traffic
of the present day. are given care
ful attention.
4 Needed improvements in drainage
conditions, in order to have the
PROJECT become safe for aII-weathel
operation, likewise is given con.
sideration.
Largely because of these factors
the methods of making improve.
inent to existing highways, that
have been followed in recent
years, and will be followed in the
immediate future, differ somewhat
from the methods used by the High
way Department decade or more
ago
When a highway is considered
for Improvement today, the plan
ming engineers have before them a
record OF traffic use OF the high
way, where any accidents lave
taken place on the highway. and
the possible cause Of the accident,
as well as a study of exiting
drainage facilities.
With all of this comes an est.-
mate of what the traffic ratio may
be within the next 20 or 25 years,
as well as the needed changes In
alignments, or elevations, that may
be needed TO handle this traffic
Volume
without any accurate knowledge
of what changes may take place in
| the width, or structure of motor
vehicles during the future, the
| planning engineers cannot design
| highways to overcome these un-
| foreseen conditions.
| Buf for the usual normal traffic
| that viii be using the highway be-
| ing studied, the planning engineers
will have information available
| that will result in more accurate
estimates OF needs for that highway
than existed In former years.
| During the immediate preced-
| ing years, factor that proved
somewhat difficult for highway
planning in this state, has been the
rapid construction of residential
sites, or developments along some
highways.
Highway planning engineers may
study a certain highway this year
and find it adequate for the present
and normal increase in traffic. But
during the coming year a residen-
tia1 development is constructed in
the area served by the highway snd
suddenly there are anywhols from
200 to, 400 more families u5ing this
highway.
Since the improvement or con-
struction OF highways, under the
existing highway program system,
requires more time than the COM
pletion OF a home Development, q
heavily used highway results in
an area that was figured to be able
to provide for The normal traffic
for some years.
Here again safety in highway en-
gineering enters the picture, since
highways leading 10, or around, or
through a residential development
must be engineered for some safety
features that are not required for
a highway through the open coun-
try.
Safety in highwaS engineering
has been practiced on Sll highway
improvements made under the jur-
isdlction of the present adminis-
tr@@tion OF the State Highway De-.
IartmSat during recent years.
U is Considered standard part
OF tne specifications for highway
construction and thus far has re-
suited In some changes being made
on reconstructed highways to elm
mate possible danger spots for use
of the modern motor vehicle of the
present day.
AS Mr.. Haber pointed out, when
motorist comes in contact with a
highway Improvement project, it
will not only be for widening and
reconstructing of that portion of
the highway, but will also be one
that is eliminating any possible
cause Of highway accidents that
may have existed in the highway
construction.