skvjejc^tieth: co^stq^ress, first sessiqjj Transcontinental Hard-Surface Highways Extension of Remarks of Hon. William P. Holaday of Illinois in the House of Representatives May 28, 1928 Address of ARTHUR R. HALL before the Sixteenth Annual Convention of the United States Good Roads Association at Des Moines, Iowa May 30, 1928 -t 109302— 4G72 United States Goremment Printing Office Washington 1928 " Without these hard roads Paris would have fallen. No one can realize what such a catastrophe would have meant to the world at large, let alone to France. Billions of dollars could not have replaced the beautiful works of art, the splendid build- ings, and the accumulated treasures of the centuries. " In our splendid isolation we have less to fear from possible war than crowded Europe. And yet, while we talk of outlawed war, if we are honest with ourselves, we recognize down deep in our inner consciousness that some day our own beautiful Capital or our own great cities may need defense. If that time should ever come, the great hard-surfaced highway system pro- Tided for in the Hoiaday bill would return in money value many, many times its cost. As a defense measure alone, then, the building of such a system of national roads would be fully justified. " But we need not seek to justify the building of these roads on the grounds of national safety. From a commercial standpoint, from an economic standpoint, from a social standpoint, such a hard-road system would continue to return valuable and in- creasing dividends on the original investment. " Let us see, then, what the Hoiaday bill really is. Speaking as I do for Congressman Holaday, my duty requires me to give a rather detailed explanation of his bill, now pending in Con- gress. I shall try to be as brief as the importance of this question vi^l permit. It would be like carrying coals to New- castle to argue the benefits of good roads to this gathering. "As I may have oeca.sion to refer at times to the Federal highway act, I want to make it plain here and now that I am not opposed in the slightest degree to such Federal aid. I be- lieve that the Federal aid already given to the improvement of our highways has been justified. I believe, too, that even though the Hoiaday bill provides for many great trunk-line Iiighways, our Government will for years to come find ample opportunity and sufficient cause for contiJiuing to aid the States in the improvement, within their own borders, of thousands of miles of the roads over which their rural mail carriers and local people must travel. 109302— 4G72 "Good roads pay big dividends and are a real investment. The United States is amply able and can well afford to build, without any assistance from the States, the first-class nation- wide system of high-type hard-surfaced post roads provided for in this bill. " WHAT IS THE HOLADAY BILL? "The fundamental purpose of the Holaday bill, as indicated by its title, is to provide for the coustructiou, maintenance, and regulation within and by the United States of America of a nation-wide system of durable hard-surfaced post roads and their appurtenances and the provision of means for the payment of the cost thereof. These paved highways are to be constructed by the United States alone without any direct help from the States. " The fact that these highways can be built in this manner, right now while we live, appeals very strongly to most of us. We want to see results in our own lifetime. By authorizing an issue of its bonds the United States would be placed in posi- tion to contract for and construct these roads at once. In that way the people would get to use the roads while the bonds were being paid for. " Illinois tried this road bond issue plan to the extent of $60,000,000. Did it work? Well, in six years the people of Illinois voted a hundred million dollars more to build additional roads. " WHO WILL CAP.RY OCT THE PKOVISIOXS OF THB BILL? " Under this bill all the work must be done subject to the ap- proval of the President, but the immediate responsibility for maintaining the high character of the roads will rest upon four of his Cabinet members. "As the Bureau of Public Roads and the interests of the farmer are placed in his department, the Secretai-y of Agricul- ture is given direct charge of the work. " Since such a nation-wide system of hard-surfaced roads, if well built, would be of almost inestimable value in time of national peril, the Secretary of War is named as one of these four Cabinet members. It would be his duty to aid in determin- ing the proper type and width and strength of a paved roadway 109.302 — 4(372 that woiUd be suiBcient for all traflBe requirements of war as •vrell as of peace. In time of national danger these roads would be placed temporarily vmder his control. "As a large volume of mail will l>e carried over these post roads, the Postmaster General is charged with part of the responsibility of constructing the high-tjT)e roads required. " Because such a comprehensive hard-road system will have a marked influence on the commercial interests of all the States, the Secretary of Commerce is named as the fourth member of this very important advisory board. "The Secretary of the Treasury, with the President's ap- proval, must look after all financial questions. " WHAT KIND OF ROADS MUST BE BUILT? " The Holaday bill provides that the highways in this nation- wide system shall be improved by con.structing thereon a dur- able, hard-surfaced pavement of the best type available. The roads shall be so built that they will remain in good condition, with low, reasonable maintenance cost during the life of the bonds and afterwards. "A vital principle of this bill reqiiires the highways to be con- structed on the straightest lines practicable from an engineer- ing standpoint. The roads shall furnish the most direct routes from one main objective to anothei*. These main objectives are the National Capital, the State capitals, the principal cities, and the termini of routes. " No route shall be deflected from a reasonably sti-aight line in order to run through or near a city, even though the city be named on that route. If the construction of a route on sucli straight lines will carry the roadway at some distance from such a city or from one that should be given reasonable connections with the route, the Secretary of Agriculture shall build a spur or secondary road to make the connection. The Secretary shall not deflect a main route from its straight line or course, but he shall provide the safest and most direct and economical route, considering the interests of the country as a whole, rather than to run through or into any individual city or community. 109.302— 4G72 " For illustration : One route in this bill runs from Des Moines to Indianapolis. Danville, 111., is named on this route, but if a direct course from Indianapolis to Des Moines would carry the route to one side of Danville, the Secretary must follow this direct course and then, if it should be deemed necessary, run a connecting spur to Danville. " The bill further provides that these hard-surfaced highways shall be wide enougli and strong enough to meet the require- ments of the heaviest present general traffic and the reasonably antlcipatetl future traffic thereon. Engineers who have had wide experience in such road building will aid the four Cab- inet members in determining the proper type of roads. •' HOW WIDE WILD THESE BOADS BE? " The paved roadways, except in rough, mountainous, or sparsely settled regions, shall not be less than 20 feet wide. They may be as much wider as the above-named four Cabinet members, with the President's approval, may prescribe. " The bill also provides for superhighways near large cities. The paved roadways shall have not less than four 10-foot traf- fic lanes, or a width of at least 40 feet, for at least 25 miles out from the corporate limits of all cities of over 200,000 population. From the corporate limits of cities of over 800,000 the paved roadways shall have not less than six such traffic lanes, or a width of at least 60 feet, for a distance of at least 10 miles out from the city limits. " These widths are fixed only as a minimum requirement. In many cases the four Cabinet members will undoubtedly deem it advisable to make the paved roadways wider or to extend the extra widths out for a longer distance from these cities. Near such a supercity as New York or Chicago the width of one of these great highways should, in many cases, be much wider than 60 feet and extend out at the increased width much farther than 10 miles. " This bill also provides for the construction of belt-line paved highways around cities of over 200,000. Many times people traveling on a through route do not want to be delayed, perhaps for hours, by driving through a large city. By use of such a belt-line highway they could go from one route entering a city 109302—4672 8 to any similar route Altering it, without going dowTi into the city's crowded, congested traffic. " WHERH WILL THESE BOADS GOT " The general plan of the Holaday bill calls for direct trunk- line hard-surfaced roads running from the National Capital to each State cnpital and from each State capital to every other State capital. There will also be many similar direct routes between the large cities. " The bill also calls for great, unbroken, and direct transcon- tinental hard-surfaced highways. Similar direct hard-surfaced highways will lead from all the large in.land cities to the great waterways. " In general, the bill describes sev«i main east and west trunk- lioe highways. Five of these are real transcontinental high- ways. Two of the seven, however, run only from the Pacific Ocean to tlie Great Lakes. " One route follow^s closely the Atlantic coast line from East- port, Me„ to the southern tip of Florida. Another route fol- lows closely the Pacific coast line from the Canadian border to San Diego. Twelve other north and south lines run practically from our northern to our southern border. "There are also two gi'eat diagonal routes, one nmning from Montana to the seaboard at Jacksonville, Fla., the other from El Paso, Tex., to Iiake Ontario. Then there are more than 50 shorter but direct roiites connecting the larger cities of the country. "The bill numbers the different routes, but it expressly pro- vides that they may be renumbered or be given appropriate names. I am not so sure but that when these great national high- ways shall have been paved the American i^eople will prefer to know a route by some illustrious historic name i-ather than by an unromantic number. " HOW WILL THE HOADS BE CABED FOB? " This bill provides that the United States shall maintain these roads in first-class condition. The four Cabinet members will also have power to regulate the use of the roads. Uniform traffic rules or rules of the road shall be pre.scribed. 109302—4672 " The bill also requires these Cabinet members to provide uni- form markings along these routes. TraflBc lanes shall be kept marked with proper guide lines. \\Tierever practicable inbound and outbound traffic lanes may be separated by parkway or other safe means, if such action is deemed advisable. If it becomes practicable to do so and it seems advisable, routes may be lighted up after dark. "The bill also authorizes the separation of grades at route intersections. In many cases where one great route intersects another the duty to protect the safety of the traveling public will no doubt cause these Cabinet members to separate the grades by overpass or other means, so as to keep the traffic on one route away from that on the intersecting route. " The bill seeks to safeguard the traveling public in every pos- sible way. All railway grade crossings shall be eliminated, wherever practicable, by the construction of subways or via- ducts. On a great national highway it would seem extremely imwise to send heavy traffic over railway tracks at grade. " HOW WILL, THE P.O.\DS BB PAID FOR? " The Holaday bill authorizes the borrowing of sufficient money on the credit of the United States, up to $5,000,000,000, to build all of these routes. But no more money shall be borrowed than is actually needed to meet the expenditures autliorized by the bill. Bonds of the United States may be issued to secure the money so borrowed. In this way, the building of this nation-wide hard-road system would be completely financed. It would permit the Government to begin the immediate con- struction of the roads and to carry on the work continuously until all the roads were completed and opened for traffic. " The bill authorizes thb Secretary of the Treasury, '