Permanent Marking for the Highway
A national Board has selected certain trunklines as “United States Highways.” These are the national arterial highways of highest importance that are to be promptly developed to carry a heavy volume of travel. The same Joint Board has devised a national marking plan for these highways, including the route designation and number as shown on the back cover and also including standard signing for railroad crossings, curves, caution and other signs. The final naming of the highways has been left to decision by the States.
The country has been burdened with numerous meaningless road promotions and names. The people innocently have encouraged these promotions. Travelers are confused and the public is misled. The great work now ahead is to fix officially the established names coupled with the United States Highway numbers that map making, tourist information and travel guidance may be clearly defined.
Before the United States Highways were selected Ohio combined the Slate number and the Lincoln Highway name as the illustration shows. This simple combination created clear understandings. The same idea for the United States Highways with the addition of the color symbol will give travelers simple and effective guid-ance. Experience has shown the color symbol the one quick, sure guide night or day. Nights when neither numbers nor names can be read the color symbol flashes the signal. In traffic or threading through the streets of strange cities or at an unexpected corner on the road the driver has time only for the color symbol for his direction. Travelers for many years have learned the comfort of the color design. Now the color symbol can be embodied with the other peimanent marking for the aid it gives the traveler and for the pride of the people through whose homelands the highway extends. The Old Spanish Trail Association has issued a pamphlet discussing fully this question of permanent marking. The design shown on the back cover is a marker of dignity and beauty. Now let us lead by establishing a splendid marking system and preserving the imperishable name.
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Beautifying the Old Spanish Trail
Mrs. Frank W. Sorell National Director, Department of Beautification.
A principle of the. Old Spanish Trail work is:—The men will build the highway, the women will beautify it.
There have now been spent or appropriated and in process of construction over $62,000,000. The highway from Florida to California is rapidly opening to comfortable travel.
In 1923 the Parliament of Women at New Orleans organized the women of the Old Spanish Trail for roadside beautification —the first interstate or national movement for this purpose in the United States.
A first step has been the selection of the thirty-mile section from San Antonio to Boerne, Texas, as the Headquarters work in beautification. In this Headquarters Section every problem that is likely to arise along the Old Spanish Trail is encountered and we are gaining the experience to help the work in all sections.
This Headquarters Section is already too narrow for safe travel; as travel grows it will be more unsafe. Property owners are being solicited for the land to widen to one hundred feet. When widened nicer fences and attractive gateways will be urged. County line markers have been designed and financed for construction. Other plans include tree planting where necessary and the preservation and improvement of present trees and the landscape, the signing of distinctive and of historical places, State Line markers and similar work.
Before an attractive roadside can be permanently fostered the roadside advertising abuse must be controlled; to this end a study has been made of all laws on this subject in the United States and a form of law for passage by legislatures has been drafted. Highway officials have helped remove advertising signs.
A pretty tract has been secured for a wayside park; stone fences, rock fire-places, rock tables and benches, a bathing pool, a rock caretaker’s house and other conveniences are being installed that travelers may have a pretty spot for relaxation. Many attractive spots are along the highway that can also be made into wayside parks.
State leaders are being appointed. Local councils will be organized. Headquarters will try to give cooperation that local councils may proceed with their local improvements. Trips out over the highway will now be planned that we may become acquainted with one another and help make this highway the most attractive as well as the most traveled.
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