| Show national roads survey aids highway planning surveys to guide the planning of future highway improvements are progressing rapidly in 46 states and the district ot of columbia according to the annual report of the U S public roads administration these surveys jointly financed and conducted by the road administration and the state highway departments include complete inventories of all rural roads and detailed studies of highway traffic and highway finance the report states that one of the most generally useful products of the planning surveys is is a series of large scale state and county maps the county maps generally on a scale of one inch to one mile or greater show in addition to ito transportation por tation facilities all physical features and man made improvements and will form the first up to date and comprehensive series of county maps ever made other series of maps to be drafted on the b base ase maps show highway and other transportation por tation systems bus and truck routes postal routes school bus routes and traffic volume the 1940 federal census will be more complete because of this mapping work according to the report for the first time the boundary limits around the settled areas of unincorporated urban communities of or more population have been established in 29 states making possible census reports for such communities muni ties field surveys which form the basis of the map work and also an inventory of the present extent and condition of all rural roads have been completed in 43 states covering an aggregate of miles the report states in operation cooperation co with the association of american railroads pertinent facts relating to rural and urban grade crossings are being supplied this information will be combined with data from a field inventory of the crossings and with traffic counts to develop new improvement programs in which first attention will be given to the most dangerous crossings field work on the traffic surveys has been completed in all but nine states according to the report at stations the weights of trucks commodities carried and other data trucks and truck trailer combinations information on the weights weight s and dimensions of buses and number of passengers carried was also obtained |
