Happy BirthdaY HighwaYs!

“Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.”-Charles Kuralt-


The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it. -Dudley Moore-

Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves. -Albert Einstein-
Heh.

Next time your'e stuck in a traffic jam on the HighwaY..PondeR the following (while your'e muttering under your breath)..

The Interstate Highway Act was passed in 1956. The proposed system supplanted many of the U.S. routes with divided Interstate highways.
Highway System

Of what possible significance is this you ask?

Quick history lesson.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, automobiles were a novelty, which only the very wealthy could afford. It may be hard to imagine but most Americans either used the good ole horse and buggy, bicycles or the railroads when they needed to go on long journeys.
Actually, getting around in large cities was relatively easy due to comprehensive networks of streetcars as well as subways.
gbcnet American Highways
Believe it or not - it was initially thought that cars would never even catch on. Go figure..Heh..

So basically, in the early part of this century, a good system of roads was simply not sorely needed.
But that changed dramatically with Henry Ford's introduction of the Model "T." To state that it was a "popular"automobile is a masterpiece of understatement. Over 16.5 million were sold.(a record, incidentally which was not broken until 1972 when the Volkswagen Beetle surpassed that!.Raise ya hand if u had one..heh)

Hence, the need for a good "road" emerges.

Roads up until then were either unpaved wagon trails or cobblestone. The invention of concrete improved roads from mud bogs into passable, all-weather highways.

Roads of asphalt or concrete were built but lack of coordination between states through which the transcontinental routes ran caused confusion since the route was often not even straight. Hence the need for a system of standardized interstate highways had evolved.


By 1924 it became clear that a single, unified system of highways was necessary. In that year, the American Association of State Highway Officials passed a resolution requesting the Secretary of Agriculture to investigate the possibility of creating a system of standardized highways.

The legislation of 1956 encouraged by President Eisenhower,also provided for an extended network of 66,000 km (41,012 mi) and nationwide design standards, including:

a minimum of two lanes in each direction
lanes that were 12 ft in width
a 10-foot right paved shoulder
design speeds of 50–70 mph (for those of you wondering where the speed limit even came from?)

These highways now gave Americans unprecedented mobility and easy access to any part of the country. Did you ever realize that You can literally go anywhere at anytime with just a moments notice.

So Happy 50th Birthday U.S. Highways!


“Modern man drives a mortgaged car over a bond-financed highway on credit-card gas.”- Earl Wilson -


When buying a used car, punch the buttons on the radio. If all the stations are rock and roll, there's a good chance the transmission is shot. -Larry Lujack-

A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works.
-Bill Vaughan-

And mah fave..heh
Remember folks, street lights timed for 35 mph are also timed for 70 mph. -Jim Samuels-


VaaaaRooooooooom!