Celebrating 50 Years of the Interstate (2006)

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, he forever changed the way Americans and freight would move. The birth of the Interstate boosted the economy, increased convenience and connected the country. While many people have come to take the Interstate system for granted, those in the truckstop and travel plaza industry still recognize its importance.

There are now over 46,000 miles of Interstate and nearly everything consumers purchase has moved on a truck at some point. The Interstate has made the movement of freight within the United States easier and has allowed factories to bring goods to market faster, thereby improving the economy and facilitating international trade.

Eisenhower first witnessed the need for a national highway system in 1919 when he was a lieutenant colonel in the Army. He participated in a 62-day, coast-to-coast convoy of 81 military vehicles. During the trip, Eisenhower encountered rough roads, bridgeless river crossings and bridges that were too weak to handle the heavy military equipment. Later, the importance of a good highway system was reinforced during World War II when Eisenhower moved U.S. troops along Germany’s autobahn. Eisenhower focused on the nation’s transportation system when he became president in the 1950s. Generations have benefited from the system and many people cannot remember life without it.

The truckstop and travel plaza industry has grown along with the Interstate and continues to meet the needs of highway users, whether those users are truck drivers delivering sporting goods, commuters traveling to and from work, or families on their way to visit relatives.

Interstate Fast Facts*

• The Interstate System connects 45 of the 50 State capitals, as well as the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.
• The five longest Interstate routes, each more than 2,000 miles, are east-west routes. These are:
  I-90: 3,020.54 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
• Among the 2-digit Interstate routes, the five shortest are:
  I-73, 12.27 miles, Emery to Greensboro, North Carolina
  I-97, 17.62 miles, Annapolis to Baltimore, Maryland
  I-99, 53.00 miles, Bedford to Bald Eagle, Pennsylvania
  I-19, 63.35 miles, Nogales to Tucson, Arizona
  I-66, 74.80 miles, Strasburg, Virginia to Washington, D.C.
• I-95 covers the most states, which include Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
• The five state capitals not directly served by the Interstate System are Juneau, Alaska; Dover, Delaware; Jefferson City, Missouri; Carson City, Nevada; and Pierre, South Dakota.
• Over 702,000 vehicles traveled on Interstate highways in 2003.
• The Interstate route marker is a red, white and blue shield with the word Interstate, the state name and the route number.
• Routes running east-west have even numbers while routes running northsouth have odd numbers.
• In 1956 the system was called The National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, but the name was changed in the early 1990s to The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.
• The highest elevation along the Interstate can be found at the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel in Colorado and is 11,012 feet (east) and 11,158 (west).

• The lowest elevation along the Interstate can be found at Interstate 8 in El Centro, California and is 52 feet below sea level.
   
  *Figures from the Federal Highway Administration.