April 28
| 1903 | General Roy Stone, now Chief Engineer of the Union Terminal Company of New York, addresses the National Good Roads Convention in St. Louis, MO, on "Good Roads and How to Get Them." Yesterday, Director Martin Dodge spoke on "What the Federal Government is Doing." After describing the OPRI's work, Dodge had told the convention, "We are so much encouraged from the good results that have come from [object lesson road projects] that it would seem to be wise that the government should do more; not only more of the same kind, but contribute more largely to the cost of building."
"Good roads are coming whether by easy ways or hard. Federal aid is in the air; our young statesmen are eager to promote it, and our oldest no longer have the cold shivers when it is mentioned." |
| 1917 | OPR issues Standards Governing the Form and Arrangement of Plans, Specifications, and Estimates for Federal Aid Projects. The publication, which presents ideas on how surveys and plans should be made, was prepared by OPR in cooperation with AASHO. |
| 1971 | In a pine grove just off I-95 near Freeport, ME, Secretary of Transportation John Volpe says, "Take her down, boys," as a crane pulls the facing off the first billboard to be removed under the Highway Beautification Act of 1965. Volpe explains, "We realize that while the beauty of our landscape is more important than billboards, the billboard itself is not intrinsically evil. Therefore, this legislation provides just compensation for those whose signs are taken to benefit the commonwealth." The double-faced billboard had most recently advertised a Brunswick restaurant and a Falmouth music store. |
