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Photograph from Otnce of Public Roads 



LOWERING THE COST OF LIVING: TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES, FEDERAL-AID ROAD 

 BETWEEN PORTLAND AND BRUNSWICK, MAINE 



"From Calais, in Maine, to Miami, in Florida, our Atlantic coastline has a length slightly 

 in excess of 2,000 miles. From Puget Sound to Tia Juana, our Pacific coastline is several 

 hundred miles shorter. Two broad, well-built highways paralleling these coastlines, supple- 

 mented by a large number of lateral feeder roads, would serve the purpose of establishing 

 military defense arteries, advertising distinctly that we were ready for any callers who might 

 pay us an unfriendly visit." 



111 the traffic congestion of the present 

 hour, particularly with reference to the 

 passage of motor trucks over the road 

 from Northern factories down to the 

 National Capital. Many an automobile 

 factory is delivering its cars to agents by 

 sending them over the road, thus releas- 

 ing hundreds of freight cars for the all- 

 important transportation of foodstuffs 

 and war material. 



The passenger automobile now counts 

 as-a transportation asset which can hardly 

 be disregarded in any comprehensive 

 handling of transportation problems 

 which are certain to become worse before 

 they are better. 



PRACTICAL ROAD-BUILDING BY GOVERN- 

 MENT EXPERTS 



Several years ago the United States 

 Office of Public Roads and Rural Engi- 

 neering constructed experimental roads 



in the outskirts of Washington, D. C. 

 During the past six years they have been 

 given systematic attention, including a 

 census of the traffic which has passed 

 over them. On one stretch of Connecti- 

 cut avenue near Chevy Chase circle a 

 traffic record in 1916 covering a 24-hour 

 period showed 509 motor-propelled vehi- 

 cles and 50 horse-drawn vehicles going" 

 north, and 392 motor and 48 horse vehi- 

 cles traveling in the opposite direction. 



On the Rockville Pike, in Montgomery 

 County, Maryland, a 24-hour period pro- 

 duced 233 motor cars and 28 horse-drawn 

 vehicles going north, and 242 motor- 

 driven and 24 muscle-drawn vehicles go- 

 ing south. On the Mt. Vernon road, in 

 Alexandria County, Virginia, the traffic 

 records supplied an even more prepon- 

 derant majority in favor of the motor- 

 driven vehicles, there being 577 automo- 

 biles as against 13 horse-drawn wagons 



495 



