REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ROADSIDE DEVELOPMENT

ONE OF THE MAJOR PARTS OF THE POSTWAR READJUSTMENT PROGRAM WILL BE HIGHWAYS DESIGNED ACCORDING TO COMPREHENSIVE PLANS. THE "COMPLETE HIGHWAY" COMPRISES FOUR ELEMENTS: UTILITY, SAFETY, BEAUTY, AND ECONOMY. UTILITY IN A BROAD SENSE MEANS SERVICE, INCLUDING PROVISION FOR ALL TYPES OF TRAFFIC, ADEQUATE SAFETY TURNOUTS, WAYSIDES, PARKING FACILITIES FOR SCHOOL AND COMMERCIAL BUSES, SERVICE AREAS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF MAIL, GASOLINE, MILK, AND FARM PRODUCTS, AND ELEMENTS THAT ENHANCE LAND VALUES. SAFETY MEANS ORDERLY MOVEMENT OF VEHICLULAR AND PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC. HIGHWAY DESIGN SHOULD ELIMINATE PRESENT AND POTENTIAL TRAFFIC HAZARDS BY KEEPING SIGHT DISTANCE OPEN ON CURVES AND AT INTER-SECTIONS, BY FLATTENING SLOPES SO THAT TRAFFIC MAY LEAVE THE TRAVELED WAY QUICKLY AND SAFELY IN EMERGENCIES, AND BY PREVENTING EROSION FROM FORMING GULLIES OR DEEPENING DITCHES INTO VERITABLE TRAPS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. BEAUTY REQUIRES THE HARMONIOUS INTEGRATION OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE, AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN. CONSERVATION OF STREAM SHORES, FINE TREES, WEATHERED ROCK LEDGES, AND SIMILAR NATURAL FEATURES IS ESSENTIAL TO THE ATTAINMENT OF BEAUTY IN THE FINISHED HIGHWAY. A WELL LOCATED HIGHWAY WITH A STREAMLINED, EROSIONPROOF CROSS SECTION, AND WITH WELL DESIGNED STRUCTURES IN RELATION, HAS PLEASING AND LONG LASTING QUALITIES THAT APPEAL TO BOTH THE LAND OWNER AND THE MOTORING PUBLIC. ECONOMY IS THE QUALITY OF PROVIDING MAXIMUM VEHICULAR AND DRIVER SERVICES COMBINED WITH SAFE DESIGN AND PLEASING APPEARANCE AT RELATIVELY LOW CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. SINCE THE UNIT COST OF ANNUAL HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE MAY BE DECREASED THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND PRACTICE, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT DEVELOPED ROADSIDES ARE AN ECONOMY. THE SAME BASIC QUALITIES SHOULD BE INTEGRATED INTO THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF EVERY ROAD, WHETHER IT BE LOCAL, COUNTY, INTER-REGIONAL, OR INTERNATIONAL. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/HRBRoadsideDevComRpts/1943/1943-001.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 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:
  • Neale, H J
• Publication Date: 1944

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Roadside Development Committee Reports
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aesthetics; Alignment; Conservation; Construction; Costs; Evaluation; Grade separations; Highway design; Highway safety; Land values; Landscape design; Level of service; Maintenance management
• Uncontrolled Terms: Construction costs; Criteria; Maintenance costs; Principles; Services
• Subject Areas: Construction; Design; Environment; Finance; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00204963
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: pp 1-4
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 13 1971 12:00AM