Virginia Highway Bulletin September 1973
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Virginia Highway Bulletin September 1973 Members of a volunteer group called Friends of Channel 23 receive viewers' questions during the program "Highways: The People Speak." From left are Carolyn Tayloe, Merrilyn Jones, Alice Chittum, Cindy Foster, and Bob Terry. TV Tells the Highway Story by A. W. Coates, Jr. Special Assistant for Public Relations Citizens in a wide area of Central belief that the public has a basic right to Virginia had a unique opportunity to ask know about the operations of govern questions and learn about the state's mental agencies and, further, that the highway program through a two-hour success of any activity of government special broadcast on Richmond's educa depends largely upon the degree of tional television station WCVE (Channel citizen support which exists for that 23) on the evening of August 27. activity. "Highways: the People Speak" fea At the same time, the television tured a panel of seven officials of the broadcast provided an additional means State Department of Highways, and was of explaining the federally required produced cooperatively by the staff of "action plan" and of inviting citizens' the television station and the Depart comments on the preliminary draft, ment's office of public relations. which had been publicized and distrib It represented an extension of the uted early in August. The action plan Department's continuing public informa describes the Department's provisions tion program, which is based on the for consideration of social. economic, 1 and environmental factors and for public Others asked what plans were being participation in highway planning. made for improved mass transit in urban Several brief features were prepared areas. Someone wanted to know why for the television program in advance to sidewalks couldn't be required along all provide background information about primary and secondary roads. One caller the Department and Virginia's highways. asked when a nonpolluting vehicle These included filmed comments by engine would be perfected. Several asked Commissioner Douglas B. Fugate on the about plans for bikeways. One asked traditional mission of the Department about the success of the Department's and on the changing concepts in the efforts to recruit black engineers. Many highway program: filmed remarks by callers asked questions relating to the John E. Harwood. deputy commissioner allocation of funds, completion dates on and chief engineer, on environmen ta! interstate routes. and plans for im aspects of highway planning and devel proving specific routes. opment: filmed reports on the Depart Several callers compared Virginia's ment's newly acquired air-quality truck roads with those in other states, some and the action plan: an assortment of times but not always favorably. One color slides to illustrate various facets of woman declared: "No roads are any old and modern highways in the state: nicer than those in Virginia, and I've and a brief excerpt from the film. "Will traveled up and down the East Coast." the Gentleman Yield')." produced by the Perhaps it was all put best by Morrill Virginia Road Builders Association. A M. Crowe, the Richmond District mem highway quiz was also included. ber of the Highway Commission, in a The bulk of the television broadcast. short note to Commissioner Fugate: however. was devoted to the panel and "I have just finished listening to and to questions phoned in to the station by viewing the two-hour highway program viewers. WCVE provided five telephone on Channel 23, and ask that you convey operators. and they kept busy. In all. to all who participated my congratula some 200 questions were asked by tions for a job excellently done. viewers. About half were answered by "Each of the panelists fielded the the panel during the program: the rest barrage of difficult questions with were answered by mail in the following sophistication and displayed a truly days. Most of the questions were impressive factual background and thoughtful and informed. fluency. The panelists were W. S. G. Britton. "It was a proud evening for the Vir di rector of administration: Leo E. ginia Department of Highways. and I am Busser. III. management services officer. certain it will substantially increase the Robert L. Hundley, environmental respect of Virginia citizenry for this quality engineer: Oscar K. Mabry. metro department you so ably head." politan transportation planning engineer: Mr. Crowe, a former Richmond Reba Price. assistant data processing mayor, knows what it's like to field manager: H. M. Shaver, Jr.. assistant tough questions from the public. His location and design engineer: and Ollie comments were particularly meaningful M. Wright. Jr., employment supervisor. to the panelists and to all who had a They handled the questions with ease. hand in this unique public information and the questions were wide-ranging in endeavor. deed. The program marked the first step in Several callers asked about the what is envisioned as an expanded use impact of the gasoline shortage on the of educational television facilities to tell present and future highway program. the highway story to Virginians. 2 End of a Dry Spell As Commissioner Douglas B. Fugate ton Roads bridge-tunnel Craney Island pointed out at the August 16 meeting of crossing and other projects. Said Mr. the Highway Commission, the three Fugate: "The state's percentage has gone year, $22.9 billion highway aid measure way up and we will get a little more mon signed by President Nixon on August 13 ey, but we have enough projects ready to "brought to an end the long drought in spend twice as much as we will get." highway funds." When the appropria Mr. Fugate said two new programs tions bill was not passed last year, Vir have been added which some citizens are ginia's interstate program went dry im viewing with too much optimism. One is mediately. since Virginia was one of the the Urban High Density Program. This few states to have spent all of their permits each state to develop to inter interstate money. state standards and with 90 percent Though the interstate program has federal funds one heavily traveled route been reinstated, Virginia will not benefit that connects with interstate routes and to the degree that many may expect. is not more than 10 miles long. Only Appropriations to the program for fiscal $50 million per year for a three-year 1974 have been reduced from $4 billion period has been allocated. however, for to $2.6 billion (the Administration had the whole nation, and if every state not allowed the $4 billion to be spent). selects a route only SI million would be Appropriations to the states are made available per year for any one state. on the basis of the remaining cost in Though this would not go far in such a each state compared with the national program, Virginia intends to take full ad cost, and since the last estimate, Virginia vantage of the allocation, said Mr. Fugate. has had increases in cost because of the The other program that may be addition of the Richmond-Petersburg viewed with undue optimism concerns Turnpike and the approval of the Hamp- Continued on Page 17 Right-of-Way Honor A. F. Laube, assistant right-of-way engi neer, has been selected Right-of-Way Man of the Year for Region 4 of the American Right-of-Way Association. Mr. Laube, who joined the Department in 1952, holds the same title for the Old Dominion Chapter 52 of the same organization. The American Right-of-Way Association consists of appraisers, negotiators, attorneys, engineers, and others engaged in the acqui sition of right-of-way for public projects. It is an international organization consisting of eight regions with headquarters in Los Angeles. Region 4 is composed of 11 states in the northeast from Virginia to Maine. A native of Easton, Pennsylvania, Mr. Laube received a degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College in 19 51 and joined the Department's engineer trainee program shortly afterward. He has been assistant right-of-way engineer since 1964. A. F. Laube 3 Left: G. T. Gilbert, materials technician with the Research Council, checks the gauges on the environ mental chromatograph, which measures the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon levels in the atmos phere. Right: The research van. Far Cleaner Highway Air Except for the tall vane projecting for determining atmospheric conditions from its roof, the Department's new such as wind speed and direction. While anti-air pollution research van could be the vehicle is traveling, the vane lies just another breadtruck. In fact, that's horizontally on the roof. When data is what it was until it was revamped by to be recorded, approximately JO small the Department and sent out to deter diaphragm pumps are placed at different mine the nature of the dispersion of positions near the highway under study. automotive pollutants on Virginia's high Each pump sits five feet above the ways. Since mid-June the van has been ground-nose height-to determine the working in the heavily populated pollution concentration the public is Norfolk and Northern Virginia areas exposed to. checking the amounts and dissemination Data concerning the air's pollution of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons content is registered on the ozone in the air. monitor and the environmental chroma "Virginia is one of three or four tograph in the van. "We also compare states with such equipment," said Dr. G. the pollution around elevated and G. Clemena, analyst with the Highway depressed highways, because in the Research Council in Charlottesville. "By future we'll be interested in getting studying the kinds of pollutants found different atmospheric conditions in in different areas and the way in which different sites," Dr.