INDIANA'S HIGHWAY NEEDS STUDY

IN 1954 THE RESEARCH PROJECT WAS DIRECTED TO MAKE A STUDY OF THE NEEDS ON THE 98,000 MILES OF ROADS AND STREETS IN INDIANA. INVENTORY, TRAFFIC, COST, ETC. WERE COLLECTED IN 1954 AND 1955. MOST OF THE DATA COLLECTION WAS CONCENTRATED ON THE STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM AND COLLECTION OF COMPLETE DATA FOR THE COUNTY ROADS AND CITY STREETS WAS NOT POSSIBLE. PROCEDURES FOR THE GATHERING AND ANALYSIS OF DATA WERE DEVELOPED BY THE RESEARCH PROJECT AND ARE EXPLAINED. THE CONSTRUCTION AND COSTS REQUIRED FOR THE VARIOUS SYSTEMS ARE PRESENTED FOR A 15-YEAR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. SPECIAL ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO THE PHYSICAL AND DOLLAR NEEDS OF THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUENESS OF THESE HIGHWAYS. NEEDS FOR THE COUNTY AND CITY SYSTEMS WERE DETERMINED BY A PROCESS OF ESTIMATION. A COMPARISON OF THE PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS IS MADE WITH ANTICIPATED REVENUES FOR THE NEXT 15 YEARS. WITHOUT A CHANGE IN PRESENT REVENUE POLICIES, AN ADDITIONAL $1.5 BILLION WILL BE REQUIRED TO ELIMINATE ALL HIGHWAY NEEDS. /AUTHOR/