Design and Management of Historic Roads (2012) / Chapter Skim
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From page 45... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-1 4.0 Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4.1 Why Understanding Historic Significance Is Important A goal of this guidance is to demonstrate that the national objectives of providing a safe and efficient roadway system and preserving historic roads are not mutually exclusive and that both can be accomplished as part of keeping the nation‘s streets and highways current, from Connecticut‘s Merritt Parkway, a high volume regional corridor, to Tampa, Florida‘s brickpaved local streets. What distinguishes successful solutions that balance sound engineering with historic preservation is that they start with a well founded understanding of what specifically makes a particular road historically significant.
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From page 46... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-2 Historians, advocates, enthusiasts, preservationists, planners, engineers, and a host of others interested in old roads and routes have maintained a decades-long dialogue about which roads are historic and for what reasons, but there is no national consensus on either a consistently applied definition of historic roads or an understanding of how specific road-related features relate to conveying significance. One of the reasons contributing to no national consensus on defining historic roads is that many subscribe to the "new social history‖ that swept through historical scholarship starting in the 1960s.
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From page 47... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-3 Evaluation. Properties like roads and bridges or archaeological sites are considered historic or determined eligible for listing in the Register when they meet the criteria for evaluation.
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From page 48... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-4 National Register criteria for evaluation do not intend that old roads that do not meet current geometric standards and retain a historical feel are eligible and thus historic. To meet the criteria, significance must be established within appropriate historic contexts, and the roads must retain the ability to convey its significance through the aspects of integrity (Figure 4.2)
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From page 49... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-5 4.5 Is it the Road Itself or Resources Beyond the Road that Makes it Historic? It is vital that those who prepare the documentation supporting why roads are historic are also able to interpret and identify specific road-related attributes that contribute to significance.
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Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-6 achievement. In each of these cases, the physical attributes, engineered or evolved design and materials that are the basis for significance should inform design and preservation decisions.
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From page 51... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-7 It May Have Historic Significance, But Does It Possess the Integrity Needed to Convey Its Significance? Simply put, for properties to meet the federal definition of historic, they need to have the ability to convey their historic significance; it must possess integrity.
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From page 52... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-8 significance need to remain. This can include cross section, edge of pavement treatment, intersection design, and horizontal and vertical profiles.
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From page 53... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-9 the roadside can mean that they do not have integrity, which is an all or none determination. To meet National Register criteria, both individually and as contributing resources to historic districts, roads should look like they did and function as they were intended when they achieved their significance (Figure 4.5)
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From page 54... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-10 past. Historic significance is the supported reasons that makes a property important based on the historical record and analysis of its value within appropriate historic context(s)
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From page 55... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-11 physical condition are generally specific to each transportation resource, identification of the distinguished features that are essential to maintaining historic significance needs to be done on a case-by-case basis rather than applying categorical assumptions. All features of roads should not be treated as equally significant simply because they are old and present.
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From page 56... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-12 carry roads over, through, or under natural and manmade obstacles, and associated features include designed landscapes (e.g., parks or parkway reservations) , toll booths, roadside barriers, and scenic pull offs to name a few.
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From page 57... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-13 Pre-automobile or Early Automobile-era Roads and Road Segments Pre-automobile or early automobile-era roads or road segments are usually bypassed, abandoned, or lightly traveled and have minimum levels of subsequent improvement. They may retain original paving material and geometric features, such as brick-paved streets or unimproved shoulders.
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From page 58... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-14 property type (Criterion C) is likely to require survey and comparison against other roads sharing similar contexts and physical features with preference given to those that have sufficient supportable significance and/or integrity.
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From page 59... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-15 For both pre-automobile era and evolved roads, the assessment of integrity should include determining how much of the road lies on original right-of-way and center-line and how much does not, along with how much of the design and materials from the period of significance remain. Many pre-automobile and evolved roads that have strong historic associations may not have integrity.
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From page 60... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-16 How that change has been accommodated is the important consideration when using the historic context of a road in developing designs for improvements. Historically when improvements were made to roads, from shoulder treatment to paving and number and width of lanes, they were generally forward-looking representing then-current design, technology, and aesthetics.
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From page 61... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-17 and development. Since the intent of the National Historic Preservation Act and its role in the overall NEPA process is preservation of historic properties, it is important to stay focused on history, not other objectives (Figure 3.4)
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From page 62... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-18 degree of alteration than properties that are individually historic. Consequently, the aspects of integrity are generally less stringently applied to the resources that make up historic districts.
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Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-19 Columbia River Highway (Oregon) – significant as the first scenic highway in the United States.
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From page 64... ...
Chapter 4: Considerations in Defining Historic Roads 4-20 road is itself the primary source of information important to its history, but the criterion can be applicable to ancient roads. Considerations in Defining Historic Roads Sources Seely, Bruce E
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