THE DESIGN OF THE HIGHWAY 209 



THEODORE R. ROGOWSKI. "What makes you believe a river is 

 more important than a concrete highway?" 



These are the words which greeted our delegation travelling from 

 New York City to the Department of Commerce in Washington 

 when we met in private session to urge that a Federally financed high- 

 way be relocated, asking that the highway be kept at least 400 yards 

 from the very edge of some 6 miles of a free-flowing river. We 

 recommended that a greenbelt, preferably with the existing trees 

 intact, be preserved to maintain the natural visual beauty of the 

 river, to protect the river from the oil, refuse, and sun-baked pave- 

 ment of the highway. 



When we asked that an alternative route some miles distant be 

 considered, the curt answer was "We need that area for the next 

 system of super highways." 



We respectfully submit to this conference that there was no real 

 issue of money or cost in making these decisions; the problem we 

 confronted was that of personality. The planners had made a selec- 

 tion of route which was now being challenged. It was a very per- 

 sonal thing. And there was a professional blindness to correction. 



There seems a consensus of opinion voiced here that the Federal 

 highway system has succeeded in the countryside but has failed in 

 the urban areas. We submit it is a matter of degree, and we feel 

 the failure has been serious in the rural areas as well. 



Our recommendation is, therefore, that scenic corridors between 

 highway and waterways, separating concrete from waterways by a 

 minimum distance of 1,000 feet, be a mandatory requirement in the 

 highway design standards recommended by this White House con- 

 ference. This protective zone would help keep the waters of the 

 river cool by preserving the natural river banks, pure by removing a 

 source of oil and litter pollution, and naturally beautiful by remov- 

 ing the noise of the highway and the eyesore of speeding traffic. 



This 1,000-foot scenic corridor would further preserve bird and 

 animal sanctuary and would allow nature trails, picnic and rest 

 areas contiguous to the river all of which are permanently, irrevo- 

 cably destroyed when the highway is built at the very edge of the 

 river, sometimes in fact causing the river to be rechanneled. 



A definition of ugliness: a highway encroaching upon a river 

 bank. A definition of beauty: the glimpse of a river valley from a 

 distance. Let us not confuse the two so as to run our highways 

 plumb down the river basin, destroying the thing of beauty and the 

 river to recreational use. 



