The forgotten history of highway photologs

On May 10, 1985, a tricked out van drove south on US Route 1 in Pawcatuck CN, on a sunny spring day. Every .01 miles, a 35 millimeter movie camera mounted on the dashboard captured an image out of the front of the van, along with a digital readout displaying the date, route, mile age, and bearing. Highway departments in almost every state had such "photolog" programs, some dating back as far as 1961. Each year, these vans would drive thousands of miles of state roadways in both directions. States ran these programs because they wanted an up to date visual record of each section of road, intersection, overpass, and bridge. The effort also captured some beautiful scenes from the past, featuring long closed shops, hilariously low gas prices, classic cars, and often people just walking by the side of the road. In addition to helping with infrastructure planning and maintenance, these data sets proved useful in defending the state against legal claims involving accidents on state roads. Photolog imagery provided a clear historical record for the courts, showing the placement of signs, curbs, cross walks, and other traffic control devices.