Manmade trails have
generally followed pre-existing game trails
Europeans used many of the
Indian trails
Were only used as necessary
or for expensive cargoes. It is a matter
of time/cost/effort calculations.
Five determinants of route
The more sophisticated the
vehicle the more infrequent the route type
The more layers of transportation
that are available, the greater the advantage for larger places, in general.
Routes often signal the
political power of persons along the route
Natchitoches and New
Orleans were both politically founded towns and functioned as ports of entry
for colonial goods. The roads that
served them were the only ones getting crown funds for enhancement etc. (Camino Real).
The political powers
designated the radiating pattern of roads extending outward from most parish
seats.
When roads were
out-politicked by the economic force of steamboats, they curried the most
governmental favor. They got the tax
incentives etc. and became more efficient, cheaper and more important.( planter
and merchant phase)
In turn, the railroads got
the same treatment from both the federal and state governments.
Gifts of land, right of
ways, tax incentives etc. etc. given to railways. (railroad phase)
Most of the early RR lines
were short lines that connected manufacturers, markets etc with existing modes.
Initiated a wave of
urbanization, small town depot towns.
Height of 5,000 miles of
track
Automobile and freight
transportation comes next.
I-10 supposed to go around
New Orleans.
I-69? To Indianapolis
GM, Firestone and Standard
Oil of California.
Political wrangling over
political designations as port of entry, duty free zones, entrepots etc.
Must have cultural want,
need, desire and plan for something to become a reality.
The freedom of the automobile,
the car culture. Etc.
Human instinct?
What’s the natural lay of
the land and how does it affect the construction of routes?
Lake Ponchartrain for
example seems to be a barrier, but has traditionally been an efficient
transport route.
Other places have been hard
to reach: the Atchafalaya basin, the southwestern prairies, and other coast
areas.
The Atchafalya was also
considered a route, not a barrier, depending on the favored mode of
transportation.
It is eventually traversed
only because of the economics and political realities outside the basin.
Many of the older highways
in the state follow higher ridges, Cheniers, bluffs and interfluves
Newer interstates often
abandon or supersede the terrain.
Only four bridges cross the
Atchafalya. The more difficult or
expensive the crossing, the more important the chokepoint becomes
Refers to the established
order of transportation services
It’s not easy to abandon an
established order
Occasionally older state
highways grow in response to the creation of a nearby interstate for example,
or river roads expand with increasing river traffic. Etc.
May radically alter the
landscape of transportation.