ROBINSON CRUSOE’s Roadway Ruminations

ROBINSON CRUSOE’s Roadway Ruminations

Daniel Defoe, the author of “Robinson Crusoe” was a keen observer of the importance of a well established and maintained highway system ,complaining that England, “ groans under the repairs of the highways.” In an essay entitled: “On Projects” written in 1692 ( about 25 years before the publication of his most famous work, Robinson Crusoe,) Defoe expounded on the importance of a highway system noting there are a “thousand conveniences of a safe, pleasant and well maintained highway system.”

I couldn’t help but be reminded of Pres. Obama’s 2009 $800 billion stimulus package promising a full throat-ed funding of “shovel ready jobs ” and the Nation’s obsession with our deteriorating infrastructure system. Defoe’s essay could have been written yesterday.

Defoe understood that there was little glamor in maintaining roadways but in his essay reminded the readers that the Romans setting “ aside their barbarity of customs as heathens,” believed that roadway maintenance was so important they employed “whole armies” to conduct such efforts. The American Civil Engineer Society could not have written anything so precise.

But Defoe’s keen observations relied forthrightly on the power of government ( in this case Parliament) not only to support and foster a strategic roadway system , but be the driving force to bringsuch endeavors to fruition. Or as Defoe wrote: “ To fix it.” He wrote about the power of government to seize property ( eminent domain as we know it) and “allowing satisfaction to be made to the property owner.” And such compensation could be appealed by the owner if unsatisfied with the amount.

Defoe wrote of establishing Commissions throughout England consisting of persons who would sit and evaluate roadways and determine necessity for expansions etc. The Commission would prepare a list of roadways to be upgraded, expanded and new roadways; establish cost estimates, determine how to fund the projects , seek and review bids for the work, award a bid, inspect the work and issue incremental payments And this is how public bid projects are administered today.

And as Defoe describes the scope of the Commissions’ duties to evaluate inter municipal cooperative roadway improvements , it maybe the first cited example of Joint Municipal Planning.

Defoe advocated roadway elements such as signage; names and miles to destinations at all crossways. He also saw an opportunity for roadways to assist the poor who would live in homes to be built during roadway construction activities . He suggested to have these homes (cottages) “ erected at certain distances” where the poor could dwell and in turn perform certain maintenance /oversight duties in lieu of rent.

But Defoe wasn’t altruistic in every suggestion. There was of course the question who would perform the labor? He had an answer: Criminals. Such “ criminals as are condemned to die for smaller crimes ( petty theft?) may, instead… be ordered a year’s work on the highways.” Think modern era chain gangs. And “instead of whippings” - put criminals to work on a roadway for a “propositioned time.” He also suggested the use of negro slaves noting that the roadway construction projects could be advanced if “ 200 Negroes, who are generally persons that do a great deal of work,” could be brought to the construction sites.

Not an engineer by trade , Defoe understood the importance of drainage to a roadway and of securing sufficient rights of way for the cart path, a cleared shoulder and adequate drainage area to remove standing water.

In this essay Defoe listed specific roadways to be upgraded and repaired and roadways to be constructed. His lists identified mileage lengths; material and cost estimates for each roadway segment. He discussed how the monies would be raised, what type of security of performance should be established and spelled out the amount of profit the “undertaker of the project” ( contractor) should receive. There were no prevailing wage rates at this time.

Defoe would later expound on his “roadways in England theories” in an essay, “ A Tour Thro’ The Whole Island Of Great Britain Divided Into Circuits Or Journeys,(1792)” In this essay Defoe heaped praise on an Act of Parliament which established turnpike trusts and toll collecting to construct, and maintain roadways. He also recognized an opportunity for the privatization of roadways and collection of traveler fees (tolls) for their continual maintenance, especially key highways that carried commercial activity.

We have seen various attempts at privatizing highways/toll roads here in America. There are a variety of classification of roadways that fall within the term privately owned and operated. Some of the examples below were built with private dollars and some were originally with public funds but then at some point were leased to private firms to maintain and operate.

The earliest privately constructed toll road was probably the Lancaster Pike, built in 1792 which ran from Philadelphia to Lancaster , PA now known as Rt 30. California allowed a private consortium to construct toll lanes within the medium of the Riverside Freeway in 1989. Virginia negotiated a privately funded 14 mile highway project which connects Dulles Airport in Washington, DC with Leesburgh , VA. And Disney World in Orlando Florida built a series of major highway roads to service their resort. And the Chicago ( Illinois) Sky way as it is known , was a publicly constructed 7.5 mile highway which in 2006 was leased to a Private concern for its complete operations.

Lately America has witnessed the transfer of major highway segments , via negotiated leases, to private concerns which are charged to operate , maintain and collect revenues. I think this action has been facilitated by the advent of electronic toll collection. A key reason for a publicly owned and operated highway toll system was patronage- jobs. A toll collector job came with grand benefits both during work career and retirement . How else to explain the ( now defunct) minor roadway 10 cent toll booths along the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey? Operating 24 hours a day, seven days week, what was the personnel costs for these ?

Well ,here we are 300 + years since Defoe’s roadway ruminations and we are discussing those issues illuminated but in 21^st century terminology. I will re-read Robinson Crusoe to determine if he had any obsession with roadways on the deserted island.