Page:Highway Needs of the National Defense.pdf/136

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HIGHWAY NEEDS OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE

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.