1955 Map of the Interstate Highway System
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Interstate Highway System Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Interstate Highway System.
Why was the Interstate Highway System built? The Interstate Highway System
was built to enable traffic to move quickly
and efficiently across the nation and goods
to be distributed more efficiently.
The new highways allowed people living in
the suburbs to commute to jobs that were
miles away
When was the Interstate Highway System built?
President Eisenhower signed the National
Interstate and Defense Highway Act on June
26, 1956 beginning the construction
Interstate Highway System and the building
of freeways continues to this day
What U.S. state capitals are still not
served by the Interstate Highway System?
The The 4 state capitals are still not
served by the Interstate Highway System are
Juneau (Alaska), Dover (Delaware) Jefferson
City (Missouri) and Pierre (South Dakota)
Interstate Highway System Facts
for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting information, history and
facts on Interstate Highway System for kids.
Interstate Highway System
Facts for kids
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 1: The Dwight D.
Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense
Highways is a network of controlled-access highways that
forms a part of the United States National Highway
System. A controlled-access highway provides an
unhindered flow of traffic.
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 2: The "free-flowing"
system had no traffic signals, intersections or property
access. The controlled entrance and exit points allowed
cars to travel at much faster speeds
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 3: The construction of the interstates
began during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. He was
inspired to start there project by his experiences in
traveling long distances.
Interstate Highway System
Facts -
4: In 1919 Eisenhower
joined nearly 300 members of the army to travel 2,800
miles across the country from Washington D.C. to San
Francisco. The journey took 62 days and averaged just 5
miles per hour. At this time in history the roads were
made not of asphalt or concrete but were old trails
consisting of packed dirt or mud. In the 1920s, 70% of
travel between cities was by railroads
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 5: The first petrol or gasoline
powered automobile was only invented in 1886 by Karl Benz. In 1903
Henry Ford opened the Ford Motor Company and by 1908 the
Henry
Ford Model T automobiles were coming off the production line.
Americans had cheap access to automobiles which were great in the
cities but restricted outside due to the lack of roads.
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 6: The nation needed new roads
and before 1956 the federal government split the cost of road
building with the states.
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 7: Eisenhower's career in the
army took him to Europe during WW2 and he was greatly impressed with
the Autobahn, Germany's freeway system that provided transport
routes for military supplies and troop deployments.
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 8: Ike assumed the
presidency in 1953 in the early stages of the
Cold
War with USSR. Tensions
were high and the ability to move troops and equipment
quickly and efficiently across the country gained vital
importance as an efficient infrastructure could well
determine whether America could survive a Soviet attack.
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 9: The disorganized
infrastructure of the country had 2-lane highways but
these were not connected in a rational and efficient
manner.
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 10: In addition the
number of Americans with cars was increasing rapidly. In
1950 there with 25 million registered automobiles on the
road and the need for efficient new routes for travel
also increased. (By 1958, this figure would increase to
more than 67 million cars)
Interstate Highway System
Facts -
11: President Dwight
D. Eisenhower signed the National Interstate and Defense
Highway Act on June 26, 1956 that authorized the
construction of a 41,000-mile network of interstate
highways that would span the nation and allocated $26
billion to pay for them.
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 12:
The passage of the law began the
construction of the Interstate Highway System. Road
signs were standardized. Exit signs had white writing on
a green background and interstate route signs were red,
white, and blue. The signs for rest areas were white on
blue.
Continued...
Interstate Highway System
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Interstate Highway System for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Interstate Highway System.
Interstate Highway System
Facts for kids
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 13:
The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act.
The reason the word "Defense" was added to the title of the Act was
firstly because some of the original cost of the project was
diverted from defense funds. Secondly, most US Air Force bases would
have a direct link to the system.
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 14:
The Yellow Book
officially known as the General Location of National
System of Interstate Highways, mapped out what became
the Interstate System. Charles Erwin Wilson, who was
still head of General Motors when President Eisenhower
selected him as Secretary of Defense in January 1953,
assisted in the planning.
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 15: The Interstate
Highways were planned so that they connected to other
roads that were a part of the Strategic Highway Network,
and identified as critical to the United States
Department of Defense.
Interstate Highway System
Facts -
16: The interstates
had overpasses and underpasses instead of intersections.
They were at least 4 lanes wide and were designed for
high-speed travel.
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 17: The money to pay
for the ambitious project came from the Highway Trust
Fund that paid for 90% of highway construction costs
with an increased gasoline tax, with the states required
to pay the remaining 10% of the cost. Interstate
highways are owned by the state in which they were
built.
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 18:
The initial cost of the
project estimate of $25 billion over 12 years ended up costing $114
billion and took 35 years. Approximately 2,900 miles (4,700 km) of
toll roads are included in the Interstate Highway System.
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 19:
Advantages: The
interstates enabled a faster and more efficient
distribution of goods aiding the US economy. Goods could
be shipped longer distances, expanding market area for
farms, and manufacturing companies moved to cheaper
locations, reducing costs and increasing profits. The
interstates also
contributed to the growth of suburban communities
allowing people to commute to jobs that were miles away
from their homes.
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 20:
Advantages: The
interstates drastically reduced the amount of time to
cross the continent of North America. Ike's original
trip took 16 days (it now takes just over 4 days). The
fatality rate on interstate highways was lower than on
other roads and over 50 years, the Road Information
Project estimates that the interstates have saved about
234,000 lives
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 21:
Disadvantages: The
construction of the interstates disrupted the lives of
many Americans, and destroyed the wildlife in their
paths. The highways ruined the city neighborhoods in
their path. People lost their homes and their friends
and neighbors as established communities were sliced in
half.
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 22:
Disadvantages: The
interstates led to abandonment and decay in towns and
cities. Americans, who had initially supported the
system began to fight against it. The opposition mounted
by many anti-road activists and campaigners prevented
interstates running through their areas and ruining
their neighborhoods and as a result, many urban
interstates ended abruptly and were called the "roads to
nowhere."
Interstate
Highway System Facts - 23:
The numbering system for the
Interstate Highway System was developed in 1957 by the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
The numbering system for the assigned even numbers for the east-west
highways and odd numbers for the north-south highways
Interstate Highway System
Facts - 24: The interstates
system allows the procedure known as the 'contraflow
lane reversal' to be put into place. This procedure
maximizes traffic throughput on a highway by reversing
the flow of traffic on one side of a divider so that all
lanes become outbound lanes. The 'contraflow lane
reversal' procedure facilitates evacuations during times
of natural disasters such as hurricanes.
Interstate Highway System
Facts for kids
Facts
about
Interstate Highway System:
For visitors interested in the history of
transport in the USA refer to the following articles:
Interstate Highway System - President Dwight Eisenhower Video
The article on the Interstate Highway System provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Dwight Eisenhower video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 34th American President whose presidency spanned from January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961.
Interstate Highway System
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Facts about the Interstate Highways for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Interstate Highway System in US history
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The Interstate Highway System, a major
event in US history
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Dwight Eisenhower from January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961
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Fast, fun facts about the Interstate Highways
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Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Dwight Eisenhower
● Dwight Eisenhower Presidency and
Interstate Highways for schools,
homework, kids and children |