COMMERCIAL HIGHWAY SERVICE DISTRICTS AND THE INTERSTATE. THEIR PROPER RELATIONSHIP IN AN URBAN SETTING

A METHOD IS SUGGESTED BY WHICH LOCAL OFFICIALS CAN BETTER GUIDE LAND-USE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE AS A RESULT OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION. THE QUESTION OF LOCATION NEAR INTERCHANGES OF COMMERCIAL HIGHWAY SERVICE DISTRICTS IS EXAMINED FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF INTERCHANGE FUNCTION AND DESIGN, TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, USER COSTS AND LAND -USE ENVIRONMENT. INDICES ARE SUGGESTED TO GUIDE DECISIONS ON LOCATING SERVICE DISTRICTS. A METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF LAND THAT SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE IN SERVICE DISTRICTS FOR HIGHWAY-ORIENTED USES IS PRESENTED. THIS METHOD IS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THERE EXISTS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF LAND FOR HIGHWAY-ORIENTED USES AND THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC ASSOCIATED WITH ARTERIAL STREETS SERVING SUCH USES. AN ASSOCIATION THROUGH TIME WAS MADE ALONG SELECTED ARTERIAL STRIPS AND YIELDED A CORRELATION COEFFICIENT OF 0.81. ALSO DEMONSTRATED ARE THE DIFFERENCES IN LAND DEVELOPMENT OCCURRING WHEN HIGHWAY- ORIENTED LAND-USE PLANNING PRINCIPLES ARE RECOGNIZED AND FOLLOWED OR WHEN THEY ARE IGNORED. /AUTHOR/