Public Roads: A Journal of Highway Research and Development, Vol. 41 No. 2

Lord, Byron; Kemper, Williard J.; Byington, Stanley R.; Gordon, Donald A.; Boyle, Joseph A.; Huckins, Henry C.; Gibson, David; Ross, Paul · 1977 · ROSA P / United States. Government Printing Office

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Summary

This document comprises two primary research articles from the September 1977 issue of *Public Roads*, a journal of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The first article, by Byron N. Lord and Gregory W. Hughes, addresses the challenge of bringing highway rest area wastewater treatment systems into compliance with the 1972 Amendments of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Public Law 92-500). With over 7,700 rest areas in the Federal-aid system, many utilizing outdated or inadequate onsite treatment, the FHWA sponsored a two-phase study to develop design and operational guidelines. Phase I involved a literature review and field visits to 21 states to assess existing systems, identifying common methods such as septic tanks, oxidation ponds, and extended aeration plants. Phase II focused on developing specific guidelines for systems capable of meeting the 1977 secondary treatment requirements, including effluent limitations for biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, and fecal coliform bacteria. The study found that many existing facilities were overdesigned hydraulically and operated by untrained personnel, leading to recommendations for improved design criteria based on actual traffic patterns rather than municipal wastewater assumptions. The second article, by Willard J. Kemper and Stanley R. Byington, evaluates the safety impact of the national 55 mph speed limit enacted in January 1974 in response to the Arab oil embargo. The authors summarize research conducted by Pennsylvania State University for the FHWA, which aimed to isolate the speed limit’s effect from other variables such as reduced travel volume, economic downturns, and shifts in travel timing. By comparing 1974 fatality and injury rates against projected trends based on 1968–1973 data, the study found that the reduction in mean speed was the single most significant factor contributing to the sharp decline in fatalities. Nationwide fatality rates dropped from 4.20 to 3.57 deaths per hundred million vehicle miles in 1974, a decrease far exceeding previous annual trends. The authors estimate that the lower speeds prevented over 4,700 fatalities and 81,000 injuries in 1974. While injury rates did not show a statistically significant nationwide drop comparable to fatalities, the Interstate Highway System exhibited a large decrease in both fatalities and injuries. The findings underscore the critical role of speed reduction in highway safety, independent of travel volume changes.

Key finding

The national 55 mph speed limit reduced fatality rates most significantly on Interstate highways, while rest area wastewater treatment facilities were found to be often overdesigned hydraulically and required specific design guidelines to meet 1977 environmental standards.

Methodology

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• signage environment
• roadway lighting effects
• sign visibility legibility

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes
• Methodological Resource: dataset resource