The growing concern with the natural appearance of our roads makes it desirable, if not necessary, to adopt a design method in which both function and form are equally considered. Although the determination of the location corridor and the alignment itself depends upon many variables in the engineering and the economic field, equal emphasis should be placed on psychological and emotional values such as scenery and aesthetics. The optimum solution of the location and alignment problem in regard to psychological and emotional values can be obtained by means of a central perspective of three-dimensional design technique. The author describes some methods whereby the electronic computer is used to produce various types of spatial motion pictures for the evaluation of scenic routes within the location corridor and roadway movies for the final test of the internal and external alignment. Additional improvement is obtained by the stereoscopic approach which provides an ideal condition for depth perception. The central perspective method, in connection with the electronic computer can be successfully used to assist the highway engineer in (1) evaluating routes within the location corridor and (2) testing and revising the three-dimensional alignment design before construction commences.
Abstract