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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*
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The Interstate
System connects 45 of the 50 State capitals, as well as the
nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Over 702,000
vehicles traveled on Interstate highways in 2003.
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The Interstate
route marker is a red, white and blue shield with the word Interstate,
the state name and the route number.
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Routes running
east-west have even numbers while routes running northsouth have odd
numbers.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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