Introduction “Our approach to transportation problems has had the effect of making it easier and easier to travel to more places that have become less and less worth driving to.� - Philip Slater, The Pursuit of Loneliness
These guidelines for highway bypasses in the State of Mississippi are intended to be used as a
resource for elected officials, transportation agencies, community advocates and others interested in improving the quality of transportation infrastructure projects and how they relate to their respective communities. Many times, bypass projects are necessary and helpful in maintaining and improving the flow of traffic through regional and inter-regional roadways. But there are also many unintended side effects associated with the implementation of a bypass that are often not apparent to the general public. While these guidelines are intended to promote a more sustainable transportation system for the state of Mississippi, many examples (both positive and negative) from across this and other countries will be incorporated within this report to best exemplify both the effects and possibilities with bypass and other transportation infrastructure projects. The precedent for much of what will be discussed in this report spurs from the implementation of the automobile as the primary tool for transportation in American cities and towns. As Americans have become increasingly dependent on the car as a mode of transportation, the result has made populated areas less able to accommodate pedestrian traffic, resulting in numerous and far-reaching cultural, socioeconomic and health-related side affects. Often these consequences are not intuitive and therefore feed into a perpetual cycle of ill-advised policies that fundamentally alter the way in which we live and move within our communities. By providing resources to understand these issues, it is our hope that these guidelines will foster a better understanding of the effects that these projects can have on communities. We hope that both communities and departments of transportation can find optimal solutions to the problems posed by the necessity of vehicular mobility within the American city. Proper education regarding bypass and related systems can help in promoting transportation infrastructure strategies that in turn aid in the creation of sustainable highway systems. This in turn will enhance the quality of life both for the affected community’s residents and those visiting or traveling on the new highways.