Highways and Highway Transportation

by George R. Chatburn

(3) Military. All roads would become military during war. It is frequently stated that the good roads of France saved Paris from invasion and probably saved the war to the allies. The German General Kluck admits that while he was advancing upon the British and French south of the Marne, an army of which he had no suspicion had struck outward from Paris and put his flank in deadly peril.[176] This army was one that Joffre had concentrated in Paris under General Maunouri, which had been brought over two or three good French roads from Paris by motor trucks and lorries to a point within striking distance of the German right flank, where he attacked and began the First Battle of the Marne. In the Second Battle of the Marne, motor cars performed a very important part in the concentration of troops which were to make a surprise attack. In addition the motorized armed cars known as tanks played an important part.

On this side of the ocean the trunk line roads during the war supplemented the railways, which were badly congested at the eastern terminals, by hauling large quantities of men, materials and munitions. It is said that 16,000 trucks were engaged in this work.

(4) The benefit of example. The federal government not hampered by local prejudices may construct roads of the highest type along best possible locations which when completed will serve as an example for state and local officers to pattern after. The people having seen such roads will more willingly vote bonds and taxes for road betterment.

State System.

—The benefits to be derived from and the arguments for a national system of roads apply with equal force to a state system. In fact it may be better to avoid the two extremes of one consolidated central control for the whole country and a very highly dispersed decentralized local control. The state seems to be a sufficiently large unit to do good work and sufficiently small to be approachable. Competition with other states may bring out developments which under a single central control would never have been thought of. Notwithstanding the excellent research work that is being carried on by the Bureau of Public Roads there is no doubt but that that which is being done by the several states more nearly solves those special problems arising on account of climate, topography, soil, and so on of the particular state.

The state system should cover a greater per cent of the roads than a national system can hope to do. The effort seems to be to take over about 10 per cent of the established roads as state highways. Such roads, if carefully selected and located, can accommodate from 90 to 95 per cent of the inhabitants of the state.

The remaining roads would continue under local—county and town—authorities. A county system might be laid out and money expended upon its roads about in proportion to their use.

Again there is a feeling on the part of many that the first expense of improving a road (that would include grading, bridging, and paving, even if the latter should be done some time subsequent to the former) should be borne by the state and the abutting property, that the maintenance should be under the direction of the local authorities, and paid for by local taxation and by a portion of the state automobile license and gasoline taxes to be returned to the county for this purpose.

The Procedure of Laying out a Road System.

—To fix the mind definitely suppose it to be a state road system that is to be laid out. It is generally conceded that the planning should be done by an unprejudiced commission headed by an engineer of wide experience, one who is fair but will show no favoritism. The first question, after deciding to make a layout and who shall make it, is what shall be the determining factor of the lay-out. Shall it be primarily a farm to market system, primarily a commercial system, or primarily a recreational system? A wise commission will, no doubt, attempt to embody all these features in one system, as they should be, for, nowadays, more than half the population of the country reside in the cities and villages. They pay taxes and are as much entitled to road facilities for their particular industries and pleasures as are the “farm bloc,” and every fair-minded person will admit this.