WJR Auto Report: Interstates Turn 50
As a young Baby Boomer, I loved joining my father in the family station wagon as we'd explore the winding, country lanes that connected much of the country back in the 1950s and early '60s. But there was nothing more exciting than discovering one of the new super-highways that were carving their way across the countryside. Nearly a half century later, there are interstates everywhere - a network of nearly 43,000 miles, according to federal records, which cost the country $114 billion to build. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the interstate highway system. On June 26th, 1956, President Eisenhower signed the bill that made it all possible. Initially, they were sold as defense highways, necessary to move around the Minutemen missiles protecting us against attack by the Soviet Union. The missiles now have their own silos, but the interstates remain, and but the roll-out of the first Model T Ford, it's hard to think of anything that has had a more profound impact on our country. The interstates literally rewrote the map of America.
Posted by Quality Weenie at June 26, 2006 08:00 AM | TrackBack