Bridges in scenic areas should normally have the major or heavier structural 
elements below the road surface. Structural members, guardrails, and rail- 
ings located above the pavement should be designed to minimize blocking of 
the motorist’s view of the scenery. Bridges that the public will pass under- 
neath or see in profile should be designed as light-appearing, thin objects of 
functional beauty which do not obscure the landscape. 
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48 
Landscaping Roads and Highways 
Landscaping in large measure is an intrinsic part of location and 
design. If the road is located and designed to display and take 
advantage of the best of the natural scenery through which it passes, 
if it lies lightly upon the land, if it becomes an object of curving, 
flowing, functional beauty, then the rest of the landscaping job is a 
matter of preventing erosion, softening the transition from the old 
to the new, and applying design talents to obtain harmony and 
balance. 
Perhaps the most important esthetic element in both highway loca- 
tion and landscaping is variety. The ever-changing scene—suddenly 
opened, well-framed vistas, blooming trees and shrubs, the inter- 
play of light and shadow, fall colors, and snow on the conifers—all 
contribute to enjoyable and memorable travel. The monotony of 
a seemingly endless dark tunnel, caused by cutting a highway through 
dense forest, can be relieved by carefully skirting meadows or 
crossing vantage points from which such openings can be seen. At 
appropriate locations the trees can be cut back or thinned to produce 
an irregular edge and glades where attractive trees, shrubs, and 
sturdy species of ground cover can be planted. 
