Since the end of World War II Virginia has been pouring ever larger sums of money into its highway system; and the federal contributions have increased materially as a result of the Interstate Highway program. Yet traffic growth on existing roads and an expanding economy require improved and additional highways which our present highway revenues cannot meet. A long-range highway construction program is necessary if we are to provide the roads needed and to keep them up to date.

In any discussion of Virginia Highway problems it is well to review briefly the history of our modern State highway system. In 1932 when the Byrd Road Act took effect, primary and secondary roads comprising the State highway system consisted of 8,110 miles of hard-surfaced roads; 11,660 miles of soil and gravel roads and 25,000 miles of unimproved roads and trails. In the short span of 30 years, our primary and secondary systems have progressed to where they now contain 29,078 miles of hard-surfaced roads ranging from two-lane secondary roads to four and six-lane divided primary highways of the latest design; 20,008 miles of soil and gravel roads and 976 miles of unsurfaced roads in the secondary system. In addition, the 1,053 mile Interstate System is under construction and is approaching the half-way mark toward completion. Only two states of our Union have a larger highway network than Virginia. They are North Carolina and Texas, both being much larger in area than Virginia. The increase in travel on our present highway system has increased from 18 million vehicle miles per day in 1946 to 50 million vehicle miles per day in 1963. It is estimated that Virginia's population will have increased 26% by 1975, and that for the same period of time motor vehicle registration will have increased 51% and miles per day by 72.%. Authorities estimate that there are 22 cars for every mile of road and. street in the country, which means that if every car were to go out on the road at the same time, they would crowd the streets and highways 80 yards apart. It is also estimated that 100,000,000 Americans spent $26 billion dollars while on their vacations in 1963. The average tourist couple spends $31.00 per day on rooms, meals, gas, etc. The tourist industry brings to our Virginia economy over $700,000,000 a year. In order to cope with the ever-increasing congestion on our highways, the Virginia Department of Highways has become our largest State agency, employing over 10,000 people and spending in excess of $200,000,000 per year.

The General Assembly of 1962, concerned over the increasing acuteness of the highway problem, enacted Chapter 271, Acts 1962, creating a Commission to study all matters relating to highway needs including raising, allocating and spending of our highway funds and the administration of the present system. A copy of this act is found as the frontispiece to this Report.

Pursuant to the act, Your Excellency appointed the following persons to serve upon the Commission, representing Construction Districts as indicated: William F. Stone, State Senate, Martinsville, Salem District; John H. Daniel, House of Delegates, Charlotte Court House, At Large; Vernon G. Eberwine, Suffolk, Suffolk District; W. Wright Harrison, Charlottesville, Culpeper District; A. G. Lively, Lebanon, Bristol District; James B. Martin, Gloucester, Fredericksburg District; Joseph A. Massie, Jr., Winchester, Staunton District; Laurence H. McWane, Lynchburg, Lynchburg District; Charles T. Moses, State Senate, Appomattox, At Large; A. Robbins, Jr., Hopewell, Richmond District.

Following the appointments, the Commission met in the office of the Governor and discussed the matters involved in the study. William F. Stone was named Chairman and John H. Daniel was elected Vice-Chairman. John B. Boatwright, Jr. and Wildman S. Kincheloe, Jr. served as Secretary and Recording Secretary, respectively, to the Commission.