Interstate Highway System
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The Interstate Highway System is the largest highway system in the world and also the largest public works project to ever take place in the world. As of only a few years ago, the Interstate Highway System totaled over 46,000 miles, coming in at 46,837 miles. Its formal name is the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Its other nickname is Interstate System and is named after former United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose idea it was to create a National Highway System.
It consists of limited-access highways, also known as freeways or expressways, which connect the East Coast with the West Coast and the Northern parts of the country with the Southern parts of the country. The Interstate Highway System was born in 1956 with the Federal-Aid Highway Act. Before having the system created and approved, it was lobbied for by various vehicle manufacturers in the United States and President Eisenhower.
There are three states that still battle over which was the first to establish their end of the Interstate Highway System. Those three states are Pennsylvania, Missouri and Kansas. Pennsylvania boasts that they were the first to be a part of the Interstate Highway System with the paving of the first 162 miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Turnpike is also referred to as I-70 and I-76. The first 162 miles opened on October 1, 1940 between Irwin and Carlisle. This piece of roadway is still known today as “The Granddaddy of the Pikes” by Pennsylvania residents.
Missouri claims to have signed the first three contracts under the Interstate Highway System on August 2, 1956 and the first one was signed for US 66, which is now known as I-44. The third state out of this group is Kansas. Kansas claims that it was the first state to begin paving after the act was passed. Paving in Kansas began on September 26, 1956 for the first section of their part of I-70.
The Interstate Highway System has posted speed limits of roughly 65-75 MPH except for some highly congested areas in the Northeastern region of the United States. These speed limits are lowered to around 55 MPH. In parts of Texas, on I-10 and I-20, the speed limits are posted at 80 MPH.
The heaviest traveled portion of the Interstate Highway System is I-405 in Los Angeles, California. An estimated 390,000 vehicles travel this section of the highway per day. The lightest traveled portion of the Interstate Highway System is I-95 in Houlton Maine, near the Canadian border, where 1,880 cars per day ride this portion of the roadway.
The Interstate Highway System’s roadways are easily identifiable across the country. Their signs are the most recognizable in the entire country’s roadway system. They are triangular at the top in red color and rounded off at the bottom in blue color with white lettering and numbers. Written on the signs is Interstate 95, Interstate 405, Interstate 70, etc. The Interstate Highway System is used each day by millions of motorists traveling to and from work, school, the doctor’s, vacation and everyday activities.