SCENIC ROADS AND PARKWAYS 231 



Now, the question is, and I ask the Bureau of Public Roads, can 

 or will the Federal Government, which puts somewhere between 80 

 and 90 percent of the funds into such a thing, even though it is al- 

 ready authorized by the State highway department can the Federal 

 Government stop such a thing? 



Senator FARR. Mr. Hartzog and Dr. Levin. I might put it a dif- 

 ferent way. What happens if an impasse occurs between a State 

 highway department and a conservation agency, and particularly 

 where Federal funds are involved? 



Dr. LEVIN. Normally in the Federal aid relationship that Con- 

 gress has set up, the States initiate a project and the Bureau of Public 

 Roads reviews it. Of course, the Bureau does review all elements of 

 it and sometimes there is an honest professional difference of opinion 

 between the Bureau and the State highway department. When 

 this takes place there are professional discussions between the two. 

 In most cases, there is a common understanding and sometimes there 

 are changes made in the thinking of where a highway should go or 

 where it shouldn't go. 



In connection with the particular controversy you have in mind, 

 I would rather not get into the specifics of it, but I would say in this 

 case it is being handled in an appropriate way. 



At some point, however, I know you realize that in any kind of 

 public improvement program, at some point you have got to make 

 a decision and once a decision is made, then, of course, you have got 

 to go forward. 



Otherwise, you see, we would be on dead center about the high- 

 ways and we would continue to kill people at a fantastically high 

 rate. It has been shown that freeways are three or four times as safe 

 as highways of comparable design that carry comparable traffic 

 volumes. Every mile of highway that we build of this kind, we will 

 in the future try to make as beautiful as we can, and reconcile them 

 with the environment as well as we can. But aside from this every 

 mile of highway that we build will save American lives. This should 

 be of great concern to us. 



Senator FARR. Where there is a conflict between a conservation 

 agency and a highway agency, is the controversy decided at the 

 Federal level? 



Dr. LEVIN. In case of a controversy, the State has got to document 

 its case. If there is a conflict, the State in making its submission, has 



