Roadway Design, Construction, and Maintenance
Suffice it to say, roadways have been in existence since the invention of the wheel. Furthermore, roadway design and construction has evolved throughout the centuries here, at present, we enjoy various categories of travelways from minor city streets to interstate highways of thousands of miles, I-90 from Seattle, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts being the longest at 3,20 miles.
The interstate highway system throughout the United States, was the result of the “Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956,” signed by President Dwight Eisenhower on June 29, 1956. Since that time, users of the various travelways have enjoyed the presumably safe design of highways and streets; however, over time, many have been poorly maintained or subjected to various hazardous conditions. In addition, Henry Ford’s Model T has evolved into complex vehicle designs, some not even requiring a driver!
Many changes have occurred not only in roadway design but also in vehicles where such improvements include safety features such as head rests, seat belts (i.e., lap and shoulder harnesses), shatter-resistant windshields, and sensor devices alerting drivers when a vehicle is approaching. Within the past few years, even “driver-less” cars and “hands-free” computer steering are available.
Speeds along highways have also increased whereas it is not uncommon for an interstate highway to post 75 mile per hour (MPH) speed limits with accepted tolerances given to drivers at speeds beyond the posted limits. Additionally, traffic volumes along State and Federal highways have greatly increased considerably beyond those of the 1960s.
Drivers have also been provided significant improvements with what may be referenced as “zones of freedom” which did not exist 50 years ago. For example, drivers are no longer limited to AM or FM radio broadcast stations which many years ago, would often result in intermittent service and periodic interruption of a driver’s concentration; however, today’s vehicles may include satellite radio which provides a seemingly unlimited supply of music (of various genres), sports, talk, religion, and politics. Video systems are also available for passengers while hands-free phone communication and visual directional aids have become the norm. Unfortunately, other elements such as drugs, prescription medicine and alcohol also enter the realm of a driver’s ability on the roadway.
While these technological improvements in vehicles and roadways are welcomed, vehicle accidents cannot be avoided. The design of roadways are essentially required to meet national guidelines (with some variances due to regional constraints); however, visual sight-distance standards are often violated, pedestrian conflicts arise, and regulatory signage is occasionally misapplied or absent. Our personnel has supervised roadway design, construction, and maintenance for local, state, governmental, and international clients since the 1970s.