Prioritizing competing interests on historic roads : the Westminster-Taneytown Pike in Maryland as a case study

Abstract

Historic transportation corridors epitomize the American spirit. The development of roads and highways within the continental United States has contributed to the acquisition, exploration, and settlement of new territories; the development of political and economic connections between communities; the growth of agricultural and industry; the military defense of our country; the creation of tourism as an industry; and has even been the subject of songs in country and pop culture. Today, historic roads in the United States are being altered to address safety, operability, and capacity concerns. Sustaining the character-defining features of historic roads without compromising operability is a challenge of historic preservation. Four projects throughout the country where context sensitive solutions were considered or implemented are examined in this thesis. The lessons learned from these projects are summarized and applied to the Westminster-Taneytown Pike in Maryland. Context sensitive solutions allow historic preservation issues to be considered with the same weight as safety and operability issues and involve the public as full partners, resulting in more successful projects, as measured by the satisfaction of all involved parties.