Magic Highway, U.S.A. (1958)

la the wonderful world of Disney [Music] this week from The Wonderful World of Tomorrow we bring you magic Highway [Music] [Applause] USA and now looking over the highway situation is a typical American motorist Walt Disney keeping on the move is an all American custom and a good one the most important symbol in the progress of our nation is the highway our forefathers seeking plenty of Elbow Room always looked upon distance as a challenge it took a great deal of courage to open up the Frontiers in vehicles like this Koga wagon one of the many freedoms we enjoy today yet often take for granted is the freedom of the American Road to come and go as we please in our Pursuit of Happiness today we enjoy the pleasure and convenience of going places and Engineering marbles such as this modern automobile how this all came about is our story magic Highway USA our American roads beckon in all directions leading us wherever we want to go restless and wandering our roads Meander through quiet Villages they dip into fertile valleys and they tap Rich farmlands our roads climb the highest mountains and spread out across our great prairies they Arch over lakes and rivers our roads lead us to the big cities We're a nation on Wheels we like to go places we spin a wheel and we span a nation our roads are the lifelines of America channeling our everyday needs material to build our homes fuel for a th daily uses and meet on our tables roads to make a better world to protect our lives and property for our National Defense yes we're a nation on Wheels we like to go places this is the freedom of the American Road our growing abundance and our Pursuit of Happiness is dependent upon the greatest highway system in the world but where did it all [Music] begin when our great great great great great great great grandfathers came to America they discovered a dense Wilderness of wild trees wild birds wild [Music] beasts in spite of these many obstacles our sturdy forefathers were able to gain small tow holds along the coast of a new continent they visited one another by means of animal trails and narrow foot paths soon increasing traffic made these primitive Trails wider and wider and wider they became roads early road builders let no obstacle stand in their path they went around [Music] them these rural roads connected the cities where the bottleneck or traffic jam was soon [Music] experienced very few roads were improved sometimes the pavement extended only as far as the the city limits where travel suddenly bugged down rough travel conditions began to jle our citizens out of their complacency privately owned toll roads became popular where the tourist could purchase a few miles of comparative [Music] comfort America began to grow a network of Roads spread out from the ocean to be stopped momentarily by the Appalachian Mountains Daniel Boon fur trapper and Pioneer came to the rescue he pointed out the way for westward expansion through one of our country's first freeways the Cumberland Gap twisting wagon ruts blazed the way to New Frontiers but still the rivers and canals were the most popular arteries of Transportation because they were so smooth Manpower gave way to steam power and steam power gave us a new kind of Road the [Music] railroad this new Fast smooth quick gliding and smoking mode of travel sounded the death now of the highway Road building programs were forgotten overnight utter disrepair soon followed this was the dark ages of the American Highway look that from a nostalgic point of view that period in American history called the gay90s today seems tranquil and unhurried at the turn of the century our nation's way of life was harnessed to the horse and buggy over badly paved streets and dirt roads old dobin proved Dependable horsepower for almost every need he took us shopping and brought us home from work he hauled the farmers produce to the city and delivered it to the consumer the horse pulled the family buggy on picnics and Sunday dri he was there to protect our lives and our property he helped the doctor bring us into the world and sometimes helped others take us out of it yes the road was the horse's domain but then it happened a new Contraption the gasoline buggy invaded the realm of the horse the blacksmith hardly looked up from his work harness making remained big business 6 days a week the only Dependable horsepower was still furnished by real horses in the cities hard surfaced streets were measured in blocks instead of Miles pleasure driving with horse and carriage was confined for the most part to the city limits however the younger bicycle set would occasionally venture out over Country Roads which were not fit for man nor horse when they said let's hit the road they really meant it meanwhile in countless woodsheds and machine shops American inventiveness was at work on the new Horseless Carriage even these backyard mechanics themselves hardly realized that they were developing a vehicle which would revolutionize our whole way of [Music] life whether the horse knew it or not he was being replaced and he didn't like it one [Music] [Music] bit the automobile conspiracy against the horse was gaining [Music] momentum but still road conditions that never bothered the horse and buggy were just too much for the [Music] automobile so the women walked to lighten the load there were very few Bridges and if things were too deep you took the horse Ferry where there were no roads at all you made your own steering became a fine [Music] art for the more adventuresome the railroad was a dangerous shortcut in those days a Sunday Drive was a hazardous undertaking preparing for the trip took half the morning you had to carry equipment for all sorts of terrible road conditions extra tires and tubes a motorist guide book block and tackle Lantern rope toolkit water extra gasoline and what you wore was also dictated by road conditions the open road was really open open ditches and open chuck [Music] holes [Music] 2 miles outside of town and you were lost the homemade signs were of little help so father got out his trusty guide book and identified the landmarks with their photos yep all you had to do was follow the arrow but where was Centerville so we went to Fort medley [Music] instead no matter which road we took they were all the same terrible they dove into gullies and wash outs and were barely wide enough for one [Music] car if you met another car you exchanged pleasantries while the women compared the latest fashions in dust protectors the men discussed road conditions right of way was decided by the flip of a [Music] coin [Music] thin skinned tires took a Relentless beating from ruts that looked like the Grand [Music] Canyon in this Stone Age of the American Road when 75 lb of air pressure came in contact with a sharp rock it was one down and five to go when we had a flat tire mother's washboard stroke came in mighty handy many times the open road was not so open so you became your own maintenance [Music] gang [Music] sometimes you couldn't find the road for the [Music] sand for this emergency Grandma's old quilt were standard [Music] equipment and then there was the everpresent ever choking dust this was made doubly unbearable by a new species of motorist the roadhog [Music] when water was added to dust it created an adhesive viscous semi liquid substance called just plain [Music] mud [Music] despite discouraging road conditions the automobile continued to improve as heavier and more powerful models were [Music] tested a new chapter of Automotive History began when the first assembly line started to roll [Music] mass production began to crowd our roads and streets it seemed that everyone was learning to drive a car without traffic laws the streets were no man's land for the poor [Music] pedestrian [Music] and so we invented the motorcycle [Music] officer and the traffic [Music] policeman who found refuge in his Ivory Tower safe above the Thundering [Music] Herd in 1913 the Lincoln Highway was created this first transcontinental route was 3,000 Mi of crudely marked telephone poles where occasionally you could enjoy a few hundred yards of paved pleasure but for the most part the route followed muddy wagon roads and Dusty Pioneer Trails and the few Bridges were all wood and a yard [Music] wide in the Wild and Woolly West these Pioneer Pathfinders banded together for self- protection the 20s roared into high gear as the mass production of cars doubled and tripled Wheels were rolling in all directions the automobile had crowded the horse off the highway even the railroads began to feel the pinch of competition a NeverEnding line of cars moved continuously from factories to highways and city [Music] streets [Music] more cars more [Music] traffic they multiplied like [Music] rabbits 16 15 million automobiles in 50 years crowded onto roads meant for the horse and [Music] [Music] buggy for everyone scrapped there were four more to take its place no matter where they came from they were all headed for the biggest traffic jam in [Music] history [Music] the automobile has created a highly industrialized America of abundance and made us the most mobile people in the world but with all the pleasures the automobile has given us it has also overloaded our highways working toward the solution of this critical problem are many specialists such as the highway and traffic engineer our American highway system is the most modern in the world today but along with it we are fast creating the world's biggest traffic jam in 19 00 there were only 8,000 automobiles in America by 1975 we estimate there will be at least 100 million automobiles in America now because of these ever increasing loads on our present highway system we must plan and build for the future right now to solve this problem the planning of Highways must be based on the way they are used the highway engineer has to satisfy you the driver for instance if you're a farmer you want better rural roads delays caused by inadequate Farm to Market roads means loss of income all of you salesmen want faster interstate highways which bypass small towns but don't forget the merchant doesn't want to be bypassed he thinks he'll lose customers if you're a city worker you like wider faster expressways to and from your office you Housewives and pedestrians probably want less speed and more stop lights of course the non-driver figures he doesn't need highways why pay taxes for something you don't use the truth of the matter is no one type of highway or road is more important than another every road works for everybody here's a road map of the United States these are our lifelines if these arteries continue to become overburdened and clogged our nation's economy will be strangled for seeing the Grim possibility of our reaching a nationwide bottleneck our government has expanded the Federal Highway Act this gigantic Road building program will crisscross the entire nation linking together all 48 states you'll be able to travel from coast to coast from border to border without a stoplight these fast expressways will also serve as strategic military highways for National Defense this multi-billion Dollar Highway program will more than pay for itself with the time and money it will save us the New Wealth it will create and the thousands of lives it will save this is the biggest building project in the history of man in a large measure the successful completion of this vital Highway program will be due to the tremendous advances we have made in Road building techniques since the days of the pick and shovel early Road building techniques consisted merely of knocking down the high spots to fill the low spots with a few hand [Music] tools later mule and horsepower pulled scrapers and dump wagons this was progress as road construction increased steam power made things easier in 199 the first mile of concrete Highway was laid even though the concrete was mixed by a machine spreading tamping and smoothing were all done by [Music] [Applause] hand when it was finished motorists came from miles around to experience the sheer Ecstasy of driving on a short strip of smooth pavement today smooth highways are taken for granted since the days of the pioneer Wagon Trails we've come a long way over the road new highway construction is rapidly changing the face of the nation but behind this progress there's a lot of long range planning to determine the need for a new highway Engineers try to anticipate future population densities at various places the daily count of automobile traffic is recorded from these tabulations traffic flow charts are prepared for study even the number and location of all traffic accidents help determine the need for a new highway laying out a highway route starts in the air a $122,000 camera takes many miles of three-dimensional photos from these overlapping pictures every fence post tree bird bath and Boulder can be measured accurately the photo strips are assembled into one giant aerial map covering hundreds of square miles over this the proposed new highway routes are indicated with colored tape wherever possible the route is planned to bypass schools cemeteries hospitals and churches at public meetings all information about the proposed highway is presented for discussion everyone in the community may voice his opinions or ask questions final adoption of the highway route is decided by the state highway commission with the highway boundaries Now set real estate values on the RightWay are appraised agents representing the state call on the property owners and make arrangements for the purchase or relocation of their property figuring the cost of a super highway is an avalanche of mathematics a mile can cost a million for instance if the route slices through the mountains designers must know in advance precisely how much of a mountain must be moved to fill a [Music] valley electronic computers come up with the correct answers in a matter of seconds [Music] painting a Bridge's portrait before it is built gives the bridge engineer an idea of how his design will blend with the landscape accurate scale models also Aid the highway engineer in solving many design problems after many months of planning and designing the new highway is all rolled up into thousands of blueprints and drawings before construction begins surveyors stake out the center line of the new highway next come the mechanical monsters to clear a wide path for the right of way some trees are cut one at a time [Music] time others are mowed down like [Music] wheat giant razors have shaved a path through the Wilderness before you move a mountain you soften it up a [Music] little everything along the right of way goes one way or another in the city old houses and buildings are literally chewed to [Music] bits [Music] when the dust clears you can see a right of way through the city now it's time for the Earth movers to go to work with the power of a thousand horses bulldozers team up to move tidal waves of dirt [Music] a belt loader Cascades the earth into trucks 22 tons in 10 seconds elsewhere diesel dinosaurs Gorge themselves with 35 tons of dirt in one [Music] bite the march of these monsters never stops Earth from the mountains is carried to The Valleys they dig they spread and they level all on the [Music] Run wet it down then walk over it with a th000 ft you've got a solid foundation for the highway bridge foundations are pounded deep and solid to hold their backbone of Steel repairing the roaded for final Paving is a meticulous operation moving on the pavement forms a machine scrapes pulverizes and distributes the subsoil in a long wind r to this is added cement following is another machine which mixes the cement with the soil adds water and flattens it [Music] up after a topping of oil is added the Fantastic Paving machines move into [Music] place the dry sand and cement mix is dumped into the Hopper funneled into the mixer and poured out the other [Music] side these automated Paving machines spread Tamp and smooth out a wide ribbon of concrete at over 8 ft a minute however man is allowed to add a few Finishing Touches meanwhile many special signs are prepared for the new [Music] highway then the final frills white traffic lines and Landscaping another new highway is finished and ready for the all important ribbon cutting [Music] ceremony yes more and more new highways are being opened each day but we're still not building them fast enough here is the highway construction engineer dream come [Music] true interest in our national highway program is Nationwide helping to Aid the highway engineer in solving as many problems are some rather startling suggestions received from the motors themselves many demands are received to eliminate unslightly Billboards and to preserve our Scenic [Music] beauties for an extra Lane thinner cars could ride the white line for important business conferences a wider car is proposed some drivers feel the car should be equipped with uh anti-p passing devices new space saving car designs are suggested for more efficient traffic congestion here's a good question why not rubber highways and concrete Wheels some motorists demand arched box cars for stalled freight trains for on the spot traffic analysis the elevator seat and for the lessly trapped motorist the portable [Music] automobile here is the motorist dream come true the Disposable highway [Music] vehicle [Music] reserve for extreme emergencies is the do-it-yourself [Music] freeway some feel that Highway design should reflect civic pride here is the Milwaukee pretzel Cloverleaf the Florida Keys overpass the Wheeling West Virginia traffic circle the Texas Lone Star interchange the Chicago Loop and the Las Vegas toll road for a quick snack on the highway the roing restaurant a mobile car wash would Pro provide complete service on [Applause] [Music] Route Motion Pictures while in motion the traveling drive-in theater to combat driving fatigue we might welcome the highway Slumber bus [Music] Swift Justice for the traffic violator arrested tried and sentence all in a package deal perhaps these ideas are a little too eccentric to ever reach the final blueprint stage however there are Highway experts men of vision who try to predict more seriously what the highway of the future will be like so now let's take a realistic look at the road ahead and what tomorrow's motorist can expect in the years to come speed safety and comfort will be the Keynotes of tomorrow's highways a multicolored highway system may enable the motorist to reach his Destin by following the correct color strip The increased speed of tomorrow's automobile will demand that highway signs be larger and more simple to read so that the motorist can anticipate his moves well in advance better visibility will be featured in new highway designs as day dims into night electric eyes automatically illuminate the way ahead radiant heat will keep the highway surfaces drve through rain ice and snow if visibility is poor our windshield becomes a radar screen showing the outline of objects ahead or fog may be eliminated by dispelling devices along the right of way dashboard panels featuring built-in safety controls and electronic operating devices are predictions for tomorrow a teletype panel shows up to the minute traffic bulletins the recommended safe driving speed is automatically indicated our rear view mirror is actually a television [Music] picture Airborne emergency units would combine police fire and ambulance services quick removal of disabled Vehicles will reduce traffic [Music] tie-ups in One Sweep a giant Road Builder changes rough ground into a wide finished Highway pre-fabricated Bridges and overpasses move immediately into place combining new formulas of concrete with quick setting ceramic materials a mobile kill is is supported by the bridge it [Music] builds for tunneling through mountains this Atomic reactor applying incredible heat literally melts the Hard Rock as it makes mole Hills out of [Music] mountains here is preserved the beauty and Grandeur of mountain travel with the use of canal levered skywaves the shape of our cities will change as expanded Highway Transportation decentralizes our population centers into vast urban areas with the Advent of wider faster expressways the commuter's radius will be extended many miles America will someday be crisscrossed by a network of super speed transcontinental motorways tomorrow living in spacious well-planned communities will be closely integrated with the highway system in the private motorport the family car is automatically washed dried and refueled as father chooses the route in advance on a push button selector Electronics take over complete control progress can be accurately checked on a synchronized scanning map with no driving responsibility the family relaxes together on Route business conferences are conducted by [Music] television on entering the city the family separates father to his office mother and son to the shopping center these new forms of vehicles will bring about special purpose roadways Office Buildings will combine unique parking and elevator services from his private parking space father will probably have to walk to his desk when mother and son arrive at the shopping center they enter a massive cylinder and their parking space literally comes to them safely above vehicular traffic moving sidewalks make wind window shopping [Music] effortless escalator ramps carry office workers from level to level advances in technology will give us more time for leisure in tomorrow's living a family vacation will always be decided by a family vote but getting there will be simplified by a punched card system and the car is automatically operating ated and guided to preset destinations highly specialized pleasure Vehicles will have every convenience of [Music] [Applause] Home today's insurmountable barriers and sheer Cliffs will be scaled by Highway escalators one minute our car is a highway vehicle the next a c Cruiser keeping Pace with America's economy heavyduty freightways will combine railroad volume with Highway flexibility Central Traffic Control radios a truck train instructing the crew to pick up a farm produce [Applause] [Music] unit these nonstop Farm to Market freightways will bring remote agricultural areas to within minutes of metropolitan markets at transfer points within the city individual units automatically separate from the truck train for immediate delivery to shopping [Music] centers here they open up to become food [Music] dispensers other carrier sweeps directly to a seport destination where it becomes a neatly stacked unit in the ship's hole to meet faster delivery schedules these Highway of Commerce lead to launching ports where the mobile freighter becomes the payload of a cargo rocket Highway and automotive design will move forward together first we'll have the more efficient gas turbine car then the speedier jet the inexhaustible atom and possibly the sunp powerered electro suspension car which needs no wheels these spectac ular conceptions will lead to New Dimensions for the American [Applause] [Music] Highway such Visionary ideas which today seem sheer fantasy will be commonplace to Future Generations there will be miles of tubular [Music] highways air conditioned routs across hot desert wastelands over subfreezing mountain ranges and even under the [Music] oceans these giant arteries will link together all nations and help create a better understanding among the peoples of the world as in the past the highway will continue to play a vital role in the progress of civilization it will be our Magic Carpet to new hopes new dreams and a better way of life for the future [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: cjs83172

Views: 230,501

Keywords: Magic Highway, U S A 1958

Id: 7icGIHPOviQ

Length: 49min 4sec (2944 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 26 2012