ADVANCE PLANNING OPERATIONS IN THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION

MANY EXTRA HOURS HAVE BEEN SPENT IN IN-SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR THE PROJECT ENGINEERS AND THEIR ASSISTANTS. THESE IN-SERVICE PROGRAMS HAVE INCLUDED SUCH SUBJECTS AS THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CAPACITY, HIGHWAY DESIGN, BASIC CONCEPTS OF LAND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING, BASIC CONCEPTS AND GEOMETRY OF THOROUGHFARE PLANNING, ECONOMICS OF HIGHWAY COSTS AND ACCESS CONTROL, AND MANY OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS. THE PLANNING BOARD HAS NOT ONLY SERVED TO COORDINATE ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT, BUT IT HAS ALSO ACHIEVED A SECOND RESULT IN THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING BOARD, ALL SPECIALISTS IN GIVEN AREAS SUCH AS FINANCE, PUBLIC RELATIONS, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE, NOW ALSO HAVE A MUCH BETTER GRASP OF THE OVER-ALL CONCEPTS OF URBAN AND RURAL HIGHWAY PLANNING. THEY ARE ALL MORE KEENLY AWARE OF PLANNING PROBLEMS, OF THE NECESSITY FOR ADEQUATE PLANNING, AND THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF THE PLANNING BOARD, HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ALL THAT IS TAKING PLACE IN THE PLANNING AND DESIGN ACTIVITIES OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT. /AUTHOR/