Today's society relies heavily on roads, and today just about all roads are paved, and we have the convenience of Interstates and US Highways to travel on. Before Dwight Eisenhower's Interstate System, and before the United States Numbered Highway system, there were no standards to which roads were built, most were not even paved, there were no required numbering systems, and ones that did exist were not organized in efficient ways. The US Route System, and later The Interstate System, have promoted massive growth, easier travel, greater tourism, and easier logistics in the United States.
The United States Highway system came out of a necessity to be able to travel across the country as fast as possible, for both civilian and military use, as the old auto trails of the late 1800's to early 1900's did not facilitate efficient transportation. The old auto trails were sometimes not clearly marked and unpaved, unimproved road bed, especially out west (Weingroff). The old auto trails also took longer than their current counterparts because of both the earth-moving technology at the time, and the fact that in order to operate these trails, the towns along them needed to pay dues, and if a town did not want to pay, the trail did not go through the town; so more often then not, a trail went out of the way to accommodate a settlement who had paid their dues, even if it wasn't the fastest or easiest route to the overall destination (Weingroff).
A new system of auto trails was needed, and talk of a national highway system soon began to take place. Wisconsin was the first state to use numbers when designating their highways instead of names, which soon created some favoritism when some routes were given smaller numbers, as some peopl...
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...inistration. 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .
Kaiser, Cameron. "Floodgap Roadgap --Old Highway 395, Part 3: The Cabrillo Freeway (CA 163; US 395 1948-1969);Kearny Villa Road (US 395, Old I-15);Pomerado Road to Poway (US 395 1935-1950)." Welcome to Floodgap Systems' WWW Server. 2004. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. .
McNichol, Dan. "Contra Productive." RoadsBridges.com and Roads and Bridges Magazine - Road Construction & Maintenance. Dec. 2006. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. .
Weingroff, Richard F. "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System -Highway History - FHWA." Home | Federal Highway Administration. Spring 1997. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .
“Motor Age Geography” describes land use practices and new transportation policies, which in turn helped reshape roads. These key aspects helped centralized rural America, while urban areas in America were decentralized. Specific landscapes from then to now required that people of America would have to own a motor vehicle to function effectively on a day to day basis. “Fueling the Broom” goes into detail about oil wells, pipelines, service stations, and so forth. This term explains how taxes on gas became a significant source of funding for road building. “The Paths Out of Town” examines mass production and how it increased the demand for the iron ore, wood, rubber, and many other raw materials. As the need for automobiles steadily increased, American construction workers built one mile of road per square mile of land. When Americans built highways, soil erosion came into the picture along with the natural habitat for wildlife. At this time planners focused on creating a “car friendly nature” (Wells). The book informs the reader on the historical period from 1940-1960 where the government granted housing to the suburban area and highways
After 1830, the construction of railroads and macadam turnpikes began to bring improved transportation facilities to come American communities, but the transportation revolution did not affect most rural roads until the twentieth century. Antebellum investors, public and private,...
When our country was at war, the military identified the need for trucks. Trucks were very important because it was difficult to find away to transport all the supplies, troops, and food. After WW1, this brought an increase in good roads plus an expanding economy. This helped grow the trucking industry. The 1920’s were the years of innovation. The balloon tires were introduced along with the rail road’s that were established “piggy-back” service. The first mechanically refrigerated van was introduced. In 1925, there were 500,000 miles of hard surface roads in the U.S. In 1926, a fully loaded 2 ton truck was driven from New York to San Francisco in five days.
... have key roles in their contribution to the development of the highway we know today.
Railroads were America’s first big business and contributed a great deal towards advancing industrialization. Beginning in the early 1870's, railroad construction in the United States expanded substantially. Before the year 1871, approximately fourty-five thousand miles of track had been laid. Up until the 1900's another one-hundred and seventy thousand miles were added to the nation's growing railroad system. This growth came about due to the erection of transcontinental railroads. Railroads supplied cities and towns with food, fuel, materials, and access to markets. The railroad system made way for an economic prosperity. The railroad system helped to build the physical growth of cities and towns. It even became another means of communication. Most importantly, it helped to produce a second
The concept for the Holland Tunnel was developed in 1906.1 In 1906, a coalition of the New York State and New Jersey Interstate Bridge and Tunnel Commission began studies for a bridge connecting lower Manhattan to Jersey City, New Jersey.2 By the end of World War I (1918), the number of cars and trucks on U.S. roads had skyrocketed. This trend did not differ in the streets of New York City.3 At this time the Hudson River ferries were carrying about 30 million vehicles each year (24,000 vehicles a day3) from New York to New Jersey. This had become a major problem for commuters and a solution was needed.2
Initially, back then many would travel on foot or with horses, it would usually take a lot of time taking crops or productions to trade. However, as the industry began to develop, railroads were created, the government began creating more railroads with the use of donations. The railroads began to take up more land as the new transportation system aided many. The use of railroads assisted in creating an enormous domestic market for American raw materials and manufactured goods. Railroads were beneficial in cities and they also played a leading role in the great cityward movement of the last decay of the century. The railroads could carry food and people and ensure them a livelihood by providing both raw
The railroad played a major role in forging the history of many countries including the United States of America. The railroad began to bring people to places that before then where only accessed by weeks of dangerous travel over harsh and deadly terrain. The industrial revolution had ushered in a completely new era. The new era was one of mass production, supply and demand, and new requirements of industry. The growth of industry had created new demands for transit, trade, and more robust supply lines. The railroad boom across the U.S. had spread and proceeded to grow the economy quickly therefore, many people began using the rail roads just as quickly. The rail market continued to grow and by the 1860’s all major cities within the United States were connected by rail.
Many mass construction projects in the history of the United States have had a major impact on the economy and culture; however, not many of these have had as large as an impact as the Interstate Highway Act of 1956. The Interstate Highway Act revolutionized the way that we think about highways today. The act created an extremely easy mode of transportation for people across the country. Not only was the Interstate Highway Act extremely helpful in making rural and urban transportation for normal people, but it also helped commercial businesses in increasing sales across the country. These businesses were now able to transport their goods cheaper and faster. The Interstate Highway Act was tremendously beneficial in regards to its economic, social, and cultural significance. The legislation was significant economically in the way that it promoted business and cut travel costs, it was significant socially in the way that it allowed people to see friends and family even if they did not live close, and it was significant culturally in the way that it allowed people to move out to the country for low costs in order to live a happier life.
As developments were made in the transportation industry people’s lives changed rapidly. States tried to improve their roads to make traveling on them much safer and more comfortable. The federal government funded a National Road in 1808 which cost them $7 million (Faragher 386). It connected the country from east to west and allowed for easier travel across the country. This showed the nation’s commitment to developing the country and helped develop a feeling of nationalism among the people. People also moved more freely across the country. They expanded their horizons and learned more about life in different parts of the country.
There were some very important technological advancements that had occurred at that time, but advancement and growth do not happen overnight. Some people may even reject good ideas oblivious to the fact that they could actually be beneficial! Internal improvement debates had risen and bills pertaining to the infrastructure of the country were being proposed by the government, but, unfortunately, some of them were not passed. Three bills, if passed, would have provided the building of roads. Many of these bills were overruled due to fear of monopolistic activity of the government. People supporting the states' rights were against the government getting involved in the building of infrastructure. Many republicans were looking for ways to improve the transportation system. In 1816, John C. Calhoun sponsored the federal internal improvement plan which included the building of roads, and canals, but once again, the plan was vetoed because of president Madison. However, despite the fact that things did not go as planned for John C. Calhoun he was persistent and put the plan into action. The work of building roads was funded by private businesses, the state, and local government. Later on, in the early 1800s, railroads were in the making and the invention of steamboats had come about. Last but not least, the industrial revolution also played a role in the growth of the
Throughout its nearly 60 year history, the Interstate Highway System has served the United States of America far beyond its original goals. From its original purposes of uniting the country and aiding defense to the more mundane, (but equally important)such as ferrying goods across the country, the Interstate Highway System has firmly entrenched itself as one of the greatest feats of engineering the world has ever known. Record setting bridges, tunnels, and length of pavement have all been made by the vast expanse of the IHS FACT. As Dwight D. Eisenhower, then president, stated “Together, the united forces of our communication and transportation systems are dynamic elements in the very name we bear -- United States. Without them, we would be a mere alliance of many separate parts” (http://todayinsci.com/Events/Transport/HighwayInterstate-Quotations.htm 22 Feb 1955)
America is a land full of beautiful landscapes and the freeway can make you miss out on that amazing opportunity of seeing it , because you wanted to save a little time. Where if you would have took a back road, like Route 66, you would have got to witness first hand the beauty of America's landscape.
New technology regarding transportation changed the economy in terms of reduced land cost, more exports, and cheaper modes of travel. One of the worst ways to travel before 1790 was by wagon: the crude roads were bumpy, it was slow, and altogether transportation was unpleasant for the travellers. This was unappealing to many settlers, which explains why there was minimum westward movement from the Appalachian Mountains. This was felt in the bones of a private company who then built the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike, named so for the spikes that would turn after a traveller paid his or her toll. Although paved roads were expensive, state governments and some individuals paid for them. The new roads enticed settlers to go
The idea for a Central Artery through Boston has been talked about since a 1909 special commission determined that a 100-foot wide road should be built through the center of downtown Boston. Little was done with the project until the 1940πs when Boston city planners saw on the horizon a tremendous proliferation of automobiles and decided something must be done.