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HIGHWAY DESIGN: ITS RELATION TO LANDSCAPE OBJECTIVES

HIGHWAY DESIGN HAS BEEN CONCERNED ESSENTIALLY WITH THE ENGINEERING OBJECTIVES OF THE SCIENTIFIC SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEMS OF GRADING, PAVING, ALIGNMENT, PROFILE, CROSS SECTION, DRAINAGE AND MAINTENANCE. THESE WERE PREREQUISITES OF GOOD CONSTRUCTION, BUT WERE INCOMPLETE IN THEIR RELATION TO THE PROPER BLENDING OF THE CONSTRUCTION INTO THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE. HIGHWAY DESIGN IN ITS BROADEST APPLICATION WILL NOT ONLY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF SAFETY AND UTILITY, BUT WILL AIM FOR IDEALS IN THE REALM OF LANDSCAPE OBJECTIVES AND INCORPORATE BEAUTY IN THE COMPLETED STRUCTURE. THE LANDSCAPE OBJECTIVES MAY BE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS: (1) THE UTILIZATION OF EXISTING SCENIC ADVANTAGES IN THE DETERMINING OF A PROPOSED ROUTE INTENDED LARGELY FOR PLEASURE TRAFFIC; (2) THE HARMONIZING OF CONSTRUCTION WITH NATURAL TOPOGRAPHY BY COORDINATING THE WORK OF THE ENGINEER WITH THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT IN ALL STAGES OF RECONNAISSANCE, PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION; (3) THE CONSERVATION OF EXISTING VEGETATION AND TREES AS FAR AS IS CONSISTENT WITH UTILITARIAN REQUIREMENTS; (4) THE PLANTING OF NEW MATERIAL PRIMARILY AS A CONTRIBUTING AGENT TO CONTROL EROSION AND TO ACCOMPLISH A TRANSITION BETWEEN CONSTRUCTION AND NATURE; (5) THE CREATION OF FEATURAL DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS OUTLOOKS, CONCOURSES, PARKING SPACES, PICNIC AREAS, HISTORICAL MARKER SITES AND SIMILAR STRATEGIC AREAS WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN STOP FOR REST AND ENJOYMENT; (6) THE PROMOTION OF LIBERAL RIGHT OF WAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF OLD SCARS ON EXISTING ROADS, THE GREATER EASE OF BLENDING CONSTRUCTION INTO THE NATURAL TOPOGRAPHY ON BOTH OLD AND NEW ROADS, AND THE PROTECTION OF THE ROADSIDE IN CASE OF FUTURE WIDENING, (7) THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF SEPARATION OF COMMERCIAL FROM PLEASURE MOTOR TRAFFIC, THUS PERMITTING PARKWAY EMPHASIS AND GREATER LATITUDE IN THE DESIGN OF THE PLEASURE ROUTE; AND (8) THE ATTAINMENT OF ZONING FOR THE BETTER CONTROL, REGULATION AND RESTRICTION OF BILLBOARDS AND COMMERCIAL STRUCTURES ALONG THE HIGHWAY. /AUTHOR/

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  • Supplemental Notes:
    • pp 45-46, 1 REF. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
  • Authors:
    • Nichols, A R
  • Publication Date: 1938-3

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  • Accession Number: 00204882
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: pp 1-6
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Jan 17 1972 12:00AM