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This research article features 2 concepts to dwell on regarding future roads.
The objective is to open minds to a future that is actually emerging. Technology and vivid imaginations are combining to revolutionize transportation. The future ahead will be completely different from what I will call today’s “first generation” of roads. The “next generation” of vehicle travel will be conducted on ever-improving roads and highways. Tomorrow’s roads will be environmentally friendly—to the point of actually providing “net benefits” to the environment. The next generation of roads will blend with communities and blend in with the earth.
Rapid technological developments are making it possible to turn the most stringent environmentalist’s visions into reality—in terms of protecting and enhancing wildlife and blending with natural settings.
To create a world with cleaner air that preserves natural beauty we need to improve our road designs and radically revolutionize our vehicles. Technology is enabling this future.
We are in the midst of a revolutionary transition in road design and construction. We are entering a new generation of roadway– with designs that will:
- Blend with Communities
- Protect and Enhance the Environment
- Integrate Modes
The design and construction of past roads should be understood as “first generation”. We are in the valley of the curves, about to enter the next “second” generation wave of new highway designs.
The next generation represents a whole new way of designing and building roads. Tomorrow’s highways will blend with the environment like the 2 examples below will: the I-355 South Extension in the Chicago, IL suburbs and the InterCounty Connector (ICC) in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. And, tomorrow’s roads and streets will continue to make the most of new “smart growth” concepts—such as enabling new, additional, safer pedestrian and bicycle access and use.
The evolution of our road and highway system will happen fast, we are in the early days of a technology and design revolution. And the vehicles that will utilize these roadways will be equally revolutionary. Below are 2 examples of the next, second generation of roadways.
Road Design Example #1: I-355 South Extension:
Below is a picture of the Des Plaines River Valley Bridge built as part of the newly-opened I-355 South Extension in the southwest Chicago suburbs. The bridge is built at an extensive length which encourages natural vegetation growth patterns and will also allow for free-flowing rivers and uninterrupted bike paths and pedestrian walkways.
Road Design Example #2: Maryland InterCounty Connector (ICC):
As part of a $2.4 billion project to build a 6-lane, 19-mile toll road, Maryland will be spending $370 million (just over 15%) on environmental mitigation projects. This includes the creation of new wetlands and parklands—as well as improvements to water quality and 4,000 acres of storm water management improvements (such as new “biotrenches”). The project will include small bridges built specifically so that deer and animals can travel more freely. Also, 700 acres of land will be reforested to offset the project.
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