The History of the Interstate Highway System
Overview
Construction of the Interstate Highway System officially began in 1956, but there had been plans and proposals in the works since the end of World War II. In this section, you can find out where the idea came from, why it was proposed, how it was eventually built, and where it's taking us in the future.
Before Interstates
Before the Interstate Highway System was even proposed, the United States had a basic system of two-lane highways. Today, these highways are commonly known as "US" routes, but they are in fact the original US Highway System. This system of highways was created towards the end of the 19th century, since the lack of cars hadn't created a demand for any sort of highway system before then (of course, roads had existed, but not highways).
Before 1925, roads had been built per state or as agreements between states, and they often had their own individual names. For instance, there was the New England Interstate Highway System (among the New England states and New York) and the Lincoln Highway (a highway from New York City to San Francisco). These early highways were marked by colored bands at the tops of telephone polls.
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| A recreated Lincoln Highway marker. |
In 1925, all of the unique names and numbers of the highways had become confusing, so an assocation of Highway officials from the states asked the Secretary of Agrigulture - the Department of Transportation hadn't existed yet - to create a unified system of highways. A new symbol and numbering system was introduced.
The Birth of the Interstate Highway System
During Franklin D. Roosevelt's term as President, he had recognized the importance of a newer, more extensive highway system, but at the time, the war in Europe was at a higher priority. In 1944, though, the first Federal-Aid Highway Act was signed, but it stumbled because of complications having to do with funding. Later, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952 was signed, which pledged $25 million to build a highway system, and promised states to split the cost of the highways 50-50; however, construction still stumbled.
When Dwight Eisenhower was elected President, he made it one of his priorities to start the construction of a new Interstate Highway System. He took inspiration from German autobahns, which were a systems of highways the Germans created to connect large urban areas, but they also served a second purpose: The made it much easier to mobilize large numbers of troops quickly. Eisenhower had noticed, as a General during the war, the advantage it gave to the Germans, and that the American two-lane highway system didn't compare favorably. The American highways, for example, often had steep grades, which caused mechanical problems in some cars.
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| German prisoners lined up on the autobahns at the end of World War II. |
Following Through
Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, which authorized $25 billion in funding for a highway system with the following goals:
- Connect the major urban areas of the United States
- Make the highway system fund itself (through gasoline taxes and long-term bonds)
- Allow the highway system to be used to mobilize troops
- Approval for 41,000 miles of highway
- Finish construction by 1975
Unlike the older two-lane US Highway System, the new system would be a superhighway - four lanes (two in each direction), with a grade in the middle. Later on, more funding was provided, more mileage was approved, and standards (such as gradation and naming) were introduced. Also, construction of the highway as originally planned wasn't completed until the 80s, but new construction continues to this day.
 In 1993, the Interstate Highway System was renamed as "The Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways," in honor of Eisenhower's contribution to its creation.
Possibilities for the Future
New Interstate highway proposals come in every year, and some of them are approved in new legislation every few years (you can find one interesting list here.) Beyond the construction of more Interstate highways, the government is looking into new ways to connect the urban areas of the future, such as maglev trains.
For More Information
For more information about the history of the Interstate Highway System, try the following:
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