increased accordingly. In such instances, owners regarded the improvement of the highway and the growth of traffic as an asset rather than a nuisance.
Much of the Federal-aid program took place in rural or undeveloped areas—urban projects were not eligible prior to the mid-1930’s, and it was not until the 1944 Highway Act that a continuing program for Federal assistance to urban projects was established. Many of the adverse impacts of highways upon the environment were, of course, minimal in rural or undeveloped areas. Generally speaking, neither noise nor air pollution were significant problems either in the early years. The ecology of the areas traversed may have been affected, but it has only been in recent years, with the general recognition of the interdependent nature of the biosphere, that there has been serious recognition of this possibility.
A matter of priorities also shaped the perspective of these years. In 1920, there were 8 million passenger cars, but by 1930 the number had expanded to 23 million and in 1940, to 27 million cars. This rapid expansion loosened the restraints of fixed transit systems, and suburbia, with access provided by the automobile, became a way of life for millions. Little attention was being paid to the possible adverse effects of cars and trucks on the environment, for the emphasis was on building or improving the roads and building them faster to meet the burgeoning demand.
The socio-economic and political dislocations of the thirties and forties also diverted attention from the environmental effects of highways. The Depression of the 1930’s resulted in the encouragement of highway construction as a means of relieving unemployment, with little thought given to possible side effects. Similarly, during World War II, highway construction was devoted to projects needed to support the war effort, no matter what their environmental consequences.
The Bureau of Public Roads did, however, take a step in the instigation of an environmental concern in the early 1950’s. W. J. Keller, BPR Division Engineer in New Mexico, felt a program had to be developed to preserve a record of our past that was being lost through highway construction. He envisioned a program for identifying archeological and paleontological sites prior to road construction. Keller visualized a three-way partnership—the BPR, the State highway department and the Museum of New Mexico. Because of the working relationship developed, the Museum recovered many items during 7 years of operation at 89 sites. More important to the Nation, Congress granted specific authority in the 1956 Federal-aid highway legislation with respect to archeological and paleontological salvage.
An economic issue affecting urban merchants was the first general intimation that highway projects could yield environmental problems as well as benefits. In improving existing highways, the major flow of through traffic was channeled along the main shopping streets of towns and cities. The merchants viewed the cars passing their stores as carrying potential customers and were pleased when the numbers of cars increased. From the standpoint of the motorist and the highway engineer, however, shopping districts were frequently bottlenecks causing congestion and delays. Due to existing development, street widening to relieve the congestion was usually out of the question, and, thus, the obvious solution became a new highway bypassing built-up areas.
U.S. Route 48 winds through western Maryland, not far from the trail followed by General Braddock in the French and Indian War. Freeflowing alinement, wide medians and independently sited roadways blend well with the picturesque and historic countryside.
Proposed bypasses were often bitterly resisted by central-city merchants fearing substantial losses in business by the diversion of traffic from downtown streets. Highway builders argued that most through traffic had no interest in shopping and that its presence on business district streets simply interfered with local traffic which did desire to shop. The resulting con-
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