1640-31 Causeways It was 62 miles(100 kilometers)long and was surfaced Electric light - d became a e
with hand-broken stone and gravel.In the next 40 years, Other related articles nett(For the
many turnpikes were built Most surfaces were of earth, Automobile Safety(Safety in• ., ;1 la(Climate).
gravel,or broken stone.Some roads were covered with Bus tion) oke Island.
logs or planks,laid crosswise.Where logs were used, Gasoline tax Telford,Thomas • ng Twentie
the roads were called corduroyroads.Both corduroyInterstate commerce Transportation •'i in the United
McAdam,lohn Loudon Truck the/a.
roads and plank roads were very bumpy.In 1830,it Police Turnpike
looked as though a great period of roadbuilding would Rome,Ancient(Transportation • ,e restless era c
begin.But In that year,the steam locomotive was suc- and communication) . spectacular e
cessfully operated and rapid development of railroads Roadrunner is a swift,ground-dwelling bird f.' •erity,and far-i
began.People became convinced that the railroad was the brushy deserts of the Southwestern United • many Americ
the best means for travel over long distances.From 1830 and Mexico.Roadrunners can fly,but they are •.t • d curb what th
to 1900,there was little change in the surfacing materi- home on the ground.They can run as fast as 15 t • 1.1g business.Du
als for roads and highways.Even in cities,only wood kilometers)per hour.The name roadrunnerco .. - ^,ids,sons,and sv
blocks,brick,and cobblestones were used(see Street the bird's habit of racing down roads in front of • Ident Woodros
IHistoryll- vehicles and then darting to safety in the brush.• for dernocrac)
Modern roads.By 1900,there was a growing de- names for the bird include chaparral cock,ground ted to forget al
mand for good roads.Roads that extended a short dis- cuckoo,and snake killer.The roadrunner is the -- ply enjoy life.T'
lance were built in the United States to give farmers ac- bird of New Mexico. • ing stock profi
cess to the railroads,which hauled farm products.The Roadrunners measure nearly 2 feet 161 centim:-.' , .t many looked
first freeway was completed in 1921 in the Grunewald,a length,about half of which is tail.They have long, RIsing prosper
forest area In Berlin,-Germany.This road,which was 6 legs and a slender,pointed bill.The upper body Is ..noetic expansi'
miles(10 kilometers)long,served as a route for subur- mostly brown with black streaks and white spots. •
arising stands
ban commuters and as a race track In 1925,the United neck and upper breast are white or pale brown with to 1929,the n
States adopted its system of numbering highways, dark brown streaks,and the belly is white.A crest of ,per cent,from
which was suggested by Wisconsin highway engineer brown feathers sticks up on the head,and a bare p.•' •h e increased use
A.R.Hirst in 1917.Few U.S.highways were built from of orange and blue skin lies behind each eye. don farms enat
the Great Depression of the 1930s until the end of Roadrunners eat chiefly insects and small verreb er and less exl
World War II in 1945. )animals with backbones),including gophers,baby everal new m:
' In 1934,Germany began building its Autobahn lex- birds,mice,lizards,and snakes.They kill their larger •.•n many low-in
presswayl system.This extensive system featured di- prey by beating it against a hard object and then s inexpensive au
I vided highways,grade-separated interchanges,and lowing it whole.Roadrunners build a cup-shaped m- I.enry Ford had d
well-designed service areas.A section of the Pennsylva- of sticks in a low tree or a clump of cactuses.They line s tiger cars in the
nia Turnpike,the first U.S.freeway,opened in 1940.This the nest with leaves,grass,and other soh materials. • • . 7 million in 1
section ran from Middlesex(near Carlisle)to Irwin.In female lays from two to six white or yellowish eggs. 5 med the natio
California,the Arroyo Seco Parkway opened in 1940 be- Scientific classification.The roadrunner belongs to the till more busine•
M•een Pasadena and Los Angeles.The Pennsylvania cuckoo family,Cuculidae.Its scientific name is Ceococtyxca{ s staurants,and I
Turnpike and the Arroyo Seco Parkway soon demon- fornianus. xrchard c Banks Radio also rev.
strated that the population quickly grew in areas where See also Bird(picture:Birds of the desert). .ue of radio sal
freeways were built Roanoke,ROH uh noexlpop.100,220;met area pop .0 million in 19.
In the 1950s,many U.S.industry and civic groups 220,3931,is one of the largest cities in Virginia and an' ler network pros
• joined in supporting highway improvement programs. dustrial,trade,transportation,and medical center.The Philco Hour, pre
The federal interstate highway system,begun in 19%, name Roanoke comes from the Indian word Rawenoka Ing products to
was nearly complete by 1990.Engineers today continue meaning shell money.The city lies on the Roanoke Rim dais persuaded
to seek ways of improving highway safety through bet- in the southwestern part of the state between the Blue rising income.S
ter construction and improving traffic flow through the Ridge and Allegheny mountains(see Virginia(political plans and urged
use of computers. f.P.Hartman map(.It is 905 feet(276 meters)above sea level.Mill Higher wages at
Related articles.See the Transportation section in the sari. Mountain rises 2,000 feet(610 meters)in the city. Americans to pi
ous state,province,and country articles.See also the following Schools in the Roanoke area include Hollins College, tor,and washin'
articles in World Book: Roanoke College,and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.Cul Throughout t
Some roads and highways tural attractions include a symphony orchestra,the Vir• business as the
Alaska Highway Oregon Trail ginia Museum of Transportation,and Center-in-the- President Calvi(
Appian Way Pan American Highway Square—a complex with three museums and a theater. Is business.'Co
Boston Post Road Pennsylvania Turnpike Roanoke is a convention center and a railroad center. of the era.Rept
Burma Road Simplon Pass and Tunnel The Norfolk and Western Railway has its headquarters Coolidge,and I
Dixie Highway Street there.The city also Is the headquarters of Appalachian tial elections of
El Camino Real Trans-Canada Highway - belief that the e
Lincoln Highway United States(picture:A Power Company,an electric utility.Manufacturers In the
• National Road network) Roanoke Valley produce electronic equipment,furni• government cc
Lure,plastics,fiber optics,and textiles. ' copies of The r
Construction and maintenance Roanoke is a young city compared with Virginia's i best-selling no
' Asphalt Bridge Bulldozer Tidewater and Piedmont cities.In 1881,it was the small Jesus Christ th.
I