Highway Needs of the National Defense/Appendix 3

by United States Public Roads Administration

Layout 2

Appendix III.—REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ON HIGHWAYS FOR THE NATIONAL DEFENSE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC ROADS

March 11, 1949

1.—GENERAL

A. The Federal-aid Highway Act of 1948 (Public Law 834, 80th Cong.), among other things, directed the Commissioner of Public Roads to cooperate with the State highway departments in a study of the status of improvement of the National System of Interstate Highways and to invite the cooperation and suggestions of the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Resources Board as to their indicated or potential needs for improved highways for the national defense. Accordingly, the Commissioner of Public Roads requested the advice and recommendations of the National Military Establishment.

B. This report is confined to the over-all requirements. More complete details and specific requirements will be developed and coordinated as plans and requirements become firm.

C. The over-all highway needs of the National Military Establishment have been subdivided into eight general categories, each of which is defined and discussed separately, as follows:

(1) Connecting system of highways interstate in character.

(2) Urban arterial system.

(3) Defense service roads.

(4) Access roads.

(5) Installation roads.

(6) Excessive military damage to highways.

(7) Size and weight characteristics and movement of military vehicles.

(8) Highway maintenance.

D. Based on World War II experience, recommendations are made with the view to presenting suggestions as to a way in which the indicated needs could be provided for effectively and with the greatest economy.

E. In general, reference is made only to those needs which it is believed have a military significance that would not be provided for by the normal pattern of planning for and construction of highways to meet local peacetime civil needs.

2.—CONNECTED SYSTEM OF HIGHWAYS INTERSTATE IN CHARACTER

A. Definition

(1) The “connected system of highways interstate in character” as used in this report is composed of the National System of Interstate Highways and other highways of strategic importance.

(2) The National System of Interstate Highways is that system of highways designated in accordance with the Federal-aid Highway Act of 1944 (Public Law 521, 76th Cong.) limited to 40,000 miles in total extent and so located as to connect by routes, as direct as practicable, the principal metropolitan areas, cities, and industrial centers, to serve the national defense, and to connect at suitable border points with routes of continental importance in the Dominion of Canada and the Republic of Mexico.

(3) “Other highways of strategic importance” are existing highways other than the National System of Interstate Highways which because of their strategic location and points or areas served would potentially become major highway transportation lines of communications in the defense of the United States.

B. Discussion

(1) The National Military Establishment considers a relatively small “connected system of highways interstate in character,” constructed to the highest practical uniform design standards, essential to the national defense. Because of the time required, and cost, such a system must be planned for and constructed during peacetime.

(2) The transportation utilization experience of the military forces during World War II was the basis for recommendations as to routes that should become a part of the National System of Interstate Highways. It is believed that this system will, in large part, provide the principal system of connecting highways to serve the national defense.

(3) However, as weapons and methods of warfare change there will be a significant change in the strategic importance of a relatively small mileage of connecting highways not a part of the National System of Interstate Highways. These other highways should be identified and given equal priority in design and construction within practical economic limits. The total mileage of “other highways of strategic importance” as foreseen at this time will not exceed 2,500 miles. It will be an exception if any of the “other highways of strategic importance” are selected which are not now a part of the Federal-aid system of highways. However, it is believed provision should be made for adding such sections of highways which are not on the Federal-aid system without regard to any mileage limitation.

(4) The general location and extent of these strategic routes are the subject of continued consideration and the Commissioner of Public Roads will be currently advised, within security limitations, as to the location and potential traffic considerations which might be helpful in the improvement of such highways.

(5) There are, of course, economic considerations which should be given to the identification of a connected system of highways which will most effectively serve the national defense within certain projected periods of time. Subject to the development of more complete basic information the Department of National Defense considers the National System of Interstate Highways and certain other routes of high strategic importance to be the principal “connected system of highways interstate in character” essential to the national defense. -

(6) In the improvement of this “connected system of highways interstate in character,” it is considered important that wherever feasible there be incorporated in their design and construction the controlled or limited access principle. This is considered important to preserve the effectiveness and efficiency of the system by preventing ribbon development with direct access and cross traffic, which will ultimately create excessive congestion, and to make possible the exercise of a high degree of control over its use for high priority civilian and/or military traffic in event of an emergency.

(7) The relative importance of correcting the various classes of major deficiencies of the “connected system of highways interstate in character” should be based on practical economic and defense considerations and should be made the subject of continued coordination.

C. Recommendations

(1) That necessary scheduled planning and action be taken to improve to the highest practical uniform design standards the designated National System of Interstate Highways and other officially designated highways of strategic importance as a matter of high priority in the Federal-aid highway construction program.

(2) That all highways of the defined ‘connected system of highways interstate in character” incorporate in the functional design the principle of controlled or limited access unless such construction is found to be not feasible.

(3) The relative importance of correcting the various classes of major deficiencies on the defined “connected system of highways interstate in character” be made the subject of continued study and coordination between the Public Roads Administration and the National Military Establishment.

3.—URBAN ARTERIAL HIGHWAYS

A. Definition

(1) “Circumferential highways” are highways circumferential in character with respect to the center of the metropolitan areas which are extensions of or connections with urban arterial highways of the National System of Interstate Highways and/or other principal rural highways and which serve as many as possible of the transportation terminals, industrial, metropolitan, and residential areas for the efficient flow of large volumes of traffic.

(2) “Radial highways” are those important urban extensions of the National System of Interstate Highways or other principal rural highways which approach the metropolitan and business areas along radial lines.

B. Discussion

(1) The National Military Establishment considers that urban arterial highways should be given equal consideration in their development to the highest practical standards with the National System of Interstate Highways and other strategic highways.

(2) Methods of modern warfare require the rapid movement of military forces through or around urban areas and may require movement of much of its civilian population and industry. Air attacks directing missiles of extreme reaction can render highways in areas with concentrations of tall buildings and structures of little use.

(3) Circumferential routes in large cities are potentially of greatest value to national defense from the standpoint of the movement of cargo and personnel by highway transportation when located in the outer development adjacent to smaller buildings and serving as many as possible of the transportation terminals and industrial areas.

(4) Radial highways so constructed as to serve efficiently the local civilian economy and with appropriate connections to circumferential highways will, it is believed, serve effectively the national defense.

(5) In the construction of the above referred to radial and circumferential routes, it is important that they incorporate the controlled or limited-access characteristics or have wide rights-of-way which would make possible the exercise of priority in their use and in event of bombing would reduce to a minimum the rubble that would fall on at least a portion of the traveled way.

(6) Correcting the various major deficiencies in critical urban areas should be a matter of continued coordination between the Public Roads Administration and the National Military Establishment.

C. Recommendations

(1) Necessary scheduled planning and action be taken to improve to the highest practical uniform design standards circumferential and radial highways as a matter of high priority in the Federal-aid highway construction program.

(2) All circumferential and radial highways incorporate in the functional design the principle of controlled or limited access or have wide rights-of-way.

(3) Correction of the various major highway deficiencies in critical urban areas as viewed from a defense standpoint be made the subject. of continued study and coordination between the Public Roads Administration and the National Military Establishment.

4.—DEFENSE SERVICE ROADS

A. Definition

(1) “Defense service roads” are roads that normally exist and are open for use, but because of the size or weight of vehicles or traffic volume generated by or the lay-out of a defense facility, industry, or military installation, may have to be reconstructed, relocated, supplemented, or otherwise improved from the boundary of such installation or area to a suitable highway, railroad, or waterway.

B. Discussion

(1) In peacetime there are a very few existing and newly constructed military installations or facilities which generate traffic having size, weight, and/or volume characteristics that exceed the capabilities of existing roads or streets serving them. During a war there are many expanded and newly constructed installations and facilities which generate traffic exceeding the capabilities of existing roads serving them.

(2) Experience of World War II would indicate that only a small percentage of this type of highway requirement can be determined and construction justified in advance of a national emergency. However, during the early part of the last war plans and funds were not available for immediate action when definite locations and potential traffic information were available. In some cases plants were completed before plans were made for highways to service them. There resulted unnecessary production delays and expense in providing adequate highway facilities.

(3) Necessary action should be taken so the highway construction authorities can make surveys and prepare plans while plans for the military or industrial site are being prepared. Construction of necessary highways should follow at the earliest possible date after construction or expansion of the installation or facility is an established fact. In this way provision can be made for traffic turning movements, entrance gates, parking areas, highways for initial needs, and right-of-way for highways to serve planned expansion.

(4) Design standards for defense service roads to installations and facilities will vary with the vehicle size and weight characteristics and volume of traffic generated. Accordingly, each should be made the subject of a separate study and constructed to provide effectively and economically the essential highway transportation facilities to a suitable highway, railroad, or waterway.

(5) A preliminary survey indicates that there are an estimated 100 miles of this type of service road to installations of the National Military Establishment which now or will in the next 3 years need improvement.

(6) In event of mobilization, there will be an estimated 2,500 miles of improved service roads required.

C. Recommendations

(1) Enactment of legislation which will authorize the Public Roads Administration to provide for the improvement or construction of a small mileage of officially designated defense service roads during peacetime.

(2) Enactment of Federal highway legislation which will provide for the advance preparation of defense service road plans at the time the final installation or facility plans first become firm and are officially certified as such.

(3) Enactment of legislation which will provide for the immediate diversion of a reasonable amount of Federal-aid highway funds, appropriated for normal highway construction, for plans and construction of officially designated defense service roads, in event of a national emergency established by total mobilization of the Armed Forces.

5.—ACCESS ROADS

A. Definition

(1) “Access roads” are roads that are potentially required but normally do not exist, the construction of which is required to provide access by highway transportation from a suitable highway, railroad, or waterway to material resources or processing points not available from the peacetime economy.

B. Discussion

(1) Access roads are defined and discussed separately because they are normally new highway facilities and their requirements are directly related to the provision for and supply of natural resources.

(2) These roads include such highway facilities as will be required during wartime to provide material resources required in excess of those needed for the peacetime economy or which cannot be obtained for the civilian needs economically. It will generally require considerable time to make, surveys and prepare well-engineered plans for such roads.

(3) Determinations as to necessity should be made during peacetime. Preliminary plans for construction of necessary roads should be prepared and held for implementation if a major war becomes imminent.

(4) Certifications as to the essentiality for such roads should be the responsibility of an agency having over-all responsibility.

C. Recommendations

(1) Enactment of legislation which will provide for the advance preparation of access road plans during peacetime when highway service to the area is certified by the appropriate Federal agency as essential to a major war effort.

(2) Enactment of legislation which will provide for the immediate diversion of a reasonable amount of Federal-aid highway funds, appropriated for normal highway construction, for construction of the necessary access roads in event they are required for total mobilization of the Armed Forces.

6.—INSTALLATION ROADS

A. Definition

(1) “Installation roads” are roads or streets within the boundary of a military installation or industrial site which are controlled, constructed, and maintained to serve the facilities and traffic within that installation or industrial site.

B. Discussion

(1) These roads are designed and constructed to serve facilities and traffic within the boundary of a military installation or industrial site. They do not include public roads passing through a military installation or industrial site which are constructed and maintained by local street or highway authorities. The cost of construction and maintenance of installation roads is included in the funds appropriated for construction and maintenance of buildings and other facilities. Actual construction and maintenance is provided for by contract, installation personnel and facilities, or Military Establishment personnel and facilities.

C. Recommendations

(1) That the above indicated procedure be continued.

7.—EXCESSIVE MILITARY DAMAGE TO HIGHWAYS

A. Definition

(1) Excessive military damage to highways is that caused by the movement of military vehicles or units when such movement is for the direct defense of the United States, or if in peacetime, use of the highways or streets has been authorized by the responsible State or other government agency at the request of responsible military authorities, and which does visible damage in excess of that caused by normal military and civilian vehicle use.

B. Discussion

(1) Large Reserve, National Guard, and/or Regular Military Establishment units or combination movements for maneuvers, exercises, or defense of the United States cause excessive damage to some of the streets and highways used.

(2) Requests made to State authorities for occasional movement over highways of Military Establishment vehicles, designed for off-road operation in a combat zone, have been refused because of their excessive axle and gross weight. The fact that there are no Federal funds currently available for repair of the possible damage if the highway engineer does not give proper allowance for deterioration of surface or structures, is believed in large part responsible.

(3) In at least one case there is need for movement of a few combat vehicles, for test. purposes, over a city street and rural road, approximately 4 miles to the test area. The cost of improving facilities to accommodate these occasional loads or the purchase of new areas for testing does not at this time appear to be economically justified. However, the occasional but continued use of the same road causes damage in excess of the normal use for which the pavement was designed. It is therefore believed more fitting to pay part of the cost of repair of such city streets or rural roads until the condition can be otherwise corrected than to build new facilities.

(4) Provision for immediate repair of such damaged portions of highways is necessary to help obtain permission to use them occasionally during peacetime, or if for defense, so they can be repaired without delay.

(5) Federal funds were available for reimbursement for such damage to highways during World War II, and it is understood that the State highway departments’ claims were not unreasonable.

C. Recommendations

(1) The Commissioner of Public Roads be authorized to reimburse the State or other local highway departments for excessive and visible damage to public highways caused by the movement of Military Establishment vehicles or units when such movements in wartime are for the direct defense of the United States or in peacetime have been authorized by the responsible State or local highway authorities and the excessive damage claim has been verified by the Military Establishment as appearing to be a fair and just claim. Final decision as to the amount of such claim should rest with the Commissioner of Public Roads.

8.—SIZE AND WEIGHT CHARACTERISTICS AND MOVEMENT OF MILITARY VEHICLES

A. Definition

(1) “General purpose vehicles” are motor vehicles of the Military Establishment designed to be used interchangeably for movement of personnel, supplics, ammunition, or equipment, or for towing artillery carriages, trailers, or semitrailers, and used without modification to body or chassis to satisfy general automotive transport and administrative needs.

(2) “Combat vehicles” are tracked vehicles of the Military Establishment with or without armor and/or armament, which are designed for specific fighting functions, or wheeled vehicles which develop similar critical loads.

B. Discussion

(1) Subject to the improvement of highway systems, the development of additional factual information on the economics of motor-vehicle size and weight for highway use and on trafficability of soils for vehicles for off-road use, the following ‘General specifications and limitations in design” reflect the highway design requirements:

(a) General-purpose vehicles

1. Height: 132 inches.
2. Width: 96 inches.
3. Length:

   a. Single vehicle: 35 feet.

   b. Truck tractor and semitrailer: 50 feet.

   c. Other combination: 65 feet.

4. Axle load: No axle spaced between 3% to 7% feet of nearest adjacent axle will carry more than 16,000 pounds. No axle spaced more than 714 feet from the nearest adjacent axle will exceed 18,000 pounds.
5. Gross vehicle weight: The gross vehicle weight of any general-purpose vehicle will not exceed 78,000 pounds. The gross weight of the vehicle or combination of vehicles will not exceed 36,000 pounds if the distance from extreme front axle to the extreme rear axle is 10 feet or less and will not exceed 850 pounds for each additional foot of this dimension.

(b) Tracked combat vehicles

1. Height: 150 inches.
2. Width: 144 inches.
3. Gross vehicle weight: 160,000 pounds.
4. Ground pressure: 12.5 pounds per square inch.
5. For vehicles less than 60,000 pounds: Weight per linear foot, in pounds, equals 3,000.plus 0.06 times (gross weight, in pounds, minus 8,000).
6. For vehicles 60,000 pounds or over: Weight per linear foot, in pounds, equals 20,000 times gross weight in pounds; divided by (160,000 plus gross weight in pounds).

(2) Movement of vehicles of the general-purpose type would be frequent and similar to normal civilian traffic movements.

(3) Movement of vehicles of the tracked combat-type or wheeled combat vehicles which develop similar critical loads would be infrequent and controlled.

(4) Highway facilities which will accommodate the above-described vehicles and types of movement would potentially be of greatest direct benefit to the national defense. Minimum uniform design standards should be established for all highways of the “connecting system of highways interstate in character” and these standards should provide for the efficient and frequent movement of vehicles within the design limitations of the above-described general-purpose military vehicles and the infrequent movement of combat-type military vehicles.

(5) During the early part of World War II highway traffic regulation varied among the several States and thus impeded the free movement and efficient utilization of available equipment transporting material essential to the war effort. Later, nearly uniform but in many instances temporary uniform regulations were adopted. Since the end of the war the more restrictive prewar regulations have been liberalized in some States. However, there remain many variations in State laws governing the use of principal Federal-aid highways.

(6) The accomplishment, during peacetime, of uniform traffic regulations would be of material assistance to the National Military Establishment in the event of any future emergency. Of particular importance is the accomplishment, during peacetime, of uniform highway traffic regulations which will make possible the efficient and effective movement of the general-purpose-type military vehicles on the “connected system of highways interstate in character.”

C. Recommendations

(1) Design standards for the “connected system of highways interstate in character” provide for the efficient and effective frequent movement of vehicles within the general specifications and limitations in design for general-purpose vehicles.

(2) Design standards for the “connected system of highways interstate in character” provide for the infrequent and controlled movement of vehicles within the general specifications and limitations in design for combat vehicles.

(3) Necessary steps be taken in keeping with improvements and the capability of the highway system to establish during peacetime uniform highway traffic regulations governing the use of interstate highways and particularly the “connected system of highways interstate in character.”

9.—HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE

A. Definition

(1) Highway maintenance is defined as the maintaining or keeping of a highway in its original condition commensurate with its life expectancy and open for the normal and safe movement of traffic.

B. Discussion

(1) All highway construction not essential to the effective prosecution of a war should be discontinued during any such period of emerency. Every effort should be made to keep to a minimum the need or new highway facilities by coordinated planning for and selection of new sites, where little or no new highway construction is required.

(2) This policy will reflect itself in the need for wise planning for the adequate maintenance of heavily traveled roads serving industry, military installations, agricultural areas, and the strategic highways to or through critical areas. Failure to provide essential maintenance will result in essential new construction or reconstruction with its interference to traffic and greater demands for critical materials and manpower.

(3) To keep to a minimum the need for expenditure of critical materials and manpower during a national emergency the principal streets and highways in urban areas, the National System of Interstate Highways, and other identified strategic routes should be maintained at a high level during peacetime.

(4) Investigations should be made as to maintenance items that would be in short supply due to their source or transportation requirements with the view to learning the advisability of stock piling a limited quantity of certain items. Particular consideration should be given to the stock piling of bridge material.

C. Recommendations

(1) That the Commissioner of Public Roads take whatever action may be necessary to assure the continued high level of peacetime maintenance of the principal urban and rural Federal-aid highways.

(2) That the Commissioner of Public Roads initiate the necessary action to determine the advisability and extent to which critical maintenance items can and should be stock piled during peacetime.

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For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government, Printing Office
Washington 25, D. C.