Foundations of Social Studies
HISTORY
HIGHWAYS AND THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM
The Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways is the formal name for the
system of interstates (commonly called freeways and highways) that connect American cities and
states today.
History
With the invention of the automobile life changed for all Americans. Mail and freight moved faster,
buying and selling products was quicker and easier, and traveling - even in bad weather - was
possible. America needed roads that could keep up with the needs of this new phase of life and
business. People wanted hard, smooth and lasting roads, not the dusty, muddy tracks that were the
roads of the time. The idea of a transcontinental road for automobiles was first introduced in 1912.
The Lincoln Highway Association began in 1913. It was formed by a group of businessmen and
community leaders who saw the need for a system of highways crossing the country. This group
faced many problems as they tried to plan for a system of roads to cross the country. Every state
had its own ideas about where the roads should be and they did not always match up. By 1925 it
had created and named over 250 highways from New York to San Francisco. Because of the lack of
coordination between the states there was a lot of confusion about the roads and their routes.
The need for a single, unified system of highways became obvious in the 1920s. The Federal Aid
Highway Act of 1938 three east-west and three north-south routes that would be toll roads. A toll
road is a road that a driver pays a fee to use. It was decided this would not really serve the needs of
the nation. A network of 26,000 miles of divided highways would work better for the country. By
1944, highways were expanded to 40,000 miles of roads and the Department of Defense began
planning nationwide routes. There was no plan about how to pay for the roads and the work
progressed slowly.
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was able to provide the funding and work out the other
problems associated with building the interstates. The Act of 1956 set up the standards for the
highways, it said that each should include:
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a minimum of two lanes in each direction.
lanes had to be twelve feet in length.
a ten- foot wide paved shoulder.
designed for speeds of 50-70 mph.
Each highway in the country is named using the same system. Major routes use a single or two-digit
number. If the route runs north-south it is given an odd number, if a route runs east-west is has an
even number.
Fun Facts About the Interstate Highway System
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It contains almost 47,000 miles of road.
It is comprised of 300 million cubic yards of concrete.
The system includes fifty-five thousand bridges.
I-93 now travels under the city of Boston. It cost about $22 billion and is called the “Big Dig.”
A causeway carries I-10 for 18 miles across the Atchafalaya Swamp in Louisiana.
The five longest Interstate routes, each more than 2, 000 miles, are east-west routes. These are:
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2.
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5.
I-90: 3,101.13 miles, from Seattle, Washington, to Boston, Massachusetts.
I-80: 2,899.54 miles, from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey.
I-40: 2,555.40 miles, from Barstow, California, to Wilmington, North Carolina.
I-10: 2,460.34 miles, from Los Angeles, California to Jacksonville, Florida.
I-70: 2,153.13 miles, from Cove Fort, Utah, to Baltimore, Maryland.
Problems and Benefits
The highway system is very big and very expensive. Construction and repair projects are constant
and they cause traffic problems. Many people complain, but they enjoy the improved roads. The
chosen routes of the interstates means that many small towns have been bypassed and their
economies and populations are shrinking. Some neighborhoods have been carved up as roads have
been built to connect to the interstates and highways.
The interstates and highways link our communities together across the country. It is fast, easy and
relatively safe to travel long distances in comfort. All kinds of businesses use the highway system to
get their products to markets. Americans rely on the highways to get where they want to go. They
are a part of everyday life, one that is sometimes not noticed, but vial to our way of life. Our
Interstate system is the envy of many countries all over the world, which lack good road systems.