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.
“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
The urban political machine was a force that provided stability and growth for the “out-of-control” urban populations. Cities grew at uncontrollable rates and organizations like Tammany Hall instituted public improvements and created millions of jobs for the torrential flow of immigrants into Ellis Island7. It can even be argued that Tammany and other political machines made the transition easier for these immigrants, without whom the cities would not have been able to prosper to the extent that they did. The political machine created a type of politics that was purely practical in nature, and although it allowed for an immoral amount of corruption, the contributions it made to growth, stability, and production cannot be understated.
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,...
In the early nineteenth century the nation’s highways were the waterways such as rivers and canals. These means of travel were effective to an extent, but were limited by their permanent routes. The situation with the United States was that there was a thin population spread out over an enormous country, with long distances between major cities. Business owners and the government were looking for ways to improve economic chances. Cheap efficient land transportation was an essential need of the industrial revolution because the existing road transportation by wagon was just simply too slow.
...ecause people were able to travel to nearby towns for care. This enabled growth in communities because the need and want for services began to grow. For towns along a railway there was significant growth, but there were major positive changes for the state as a whole. Transportation development had a major role in the economic expansion of Iowa.
...hing, more prominent than the effect on the farms. The automobile has radically changed city life by accelerating the outward expansion of population into the suburbs. The suburban trend is emphasized by the fact that highway transportation encourages business and industry to move outward to sites where land is cheaper, where access by car and truck is easier than in crowded cities, and where space is available for their one or two story structures. Better roads were constructed, which further increased travel throughout the nation. As with other automobile-related phenomena, the trend is most noticeable in the United States but is rapidly appearing elsewhere in the world.
Within the past century, the automobile have had a large impact on cities. One of the effects of the automobile that people don't always think about is the formation of suburbs. Suburbs began being built heavily in the 19th and 20th centuries. “Levittown was the first pre-fabricated community, it was built in 1949.” (Automobile in American Life). Levittown was the first of the largest mass produced suburbs. Cars allowed for people to live outside of the city and still be able to commute to work. This greatly reduced city crowding. The expansion of city boundaries required an expansion of roadways. Highways and Interstates were formed because of this. Highways allowed for travel between cities and interstate allowed for travel across state lines. (Automotive History). Along with this new expansion came new opportunities. Some of these opportunities include drive-in movie theaters and restaurants, drive-thru banks and restaurants, motels, and convenience stores. 7 Eleven was the first extended hour convenience store (Impact of the Automobile). This impacted american culture and travel greatly. It was the first store with extended hours. The new hours were from 7 am - 11pm. That in fact, is how the store got its name (7 Eleven). Motels p...
The magnitude of the railroad industry and the vital part it plays in the economic and social life of this nation appear as the two most interesting and impressive phases arising out of a study of the growth and development of transportation. The inability of the railroads and the public to get along together amicably furnishes another interesting and possibly no less important phase.
Throughout the book Tom Lewis goes back and forth between the good and bad that came about from building highways. While the paved roads connected our country, made travel time faster, provided recreation, and pushed the development of automobiles they also created more congestion and travel time, divided communities, and made us slaves to automobiles. The author is critical of the highways, but he does realize the great achievement it is in the building of America. Lewis said, “As much as we might dislike them, we cannot escape the fact that ...
The agencies that are involved in running the transportation system and what their duties are as follows:
Before cars, transportation was very difficult. people took trains for long distances and horse drawn carriages for short distances. Horse drawn carriages were not prefered becuase they were uncomfortable with no suspension, crowded city streets, and the horses produced a lot of manure. (fuller). Before cars, there were no roads, and no suburbs, “Before the automobile, people both lived in the city and worked in the city, or lived in the country and worked on a farm. Because of the automobile, the growth of suburbs has allowed people to live on the outskirts of the city and be able to work in the city by commuting.” (colorado edu). Before cars, roads wer...
Popular perception and attitude towards public transportation in the U.S is as diverse as the country itself. Nevertheless, people’s attitude towards transit has been one of the important drivers of the evolution of urban transportation systems in America. The evolution of transit, from being the primary mode of transportation a century ago and thereafter declining into a highly marginalized mode in the recent years, is a reflection of the evolution of people’s preferences over time. The diversity of attitudes is a result of the diversity in the stakeholders of public transportation. The common public, or the citizens, form the dominant section of these stakeholders. However, socio-economic variations within this section create diverse opinions, experiences, and therefore preferences for transit development and service. The second set of stakeholders encompasses political representatives and administrators who may reinforce public opinion through policy development and implementation. The third section consists of businesses and interest groups. The opinions of each of these groups may be moderated by local culture and history and other collective belief systems.
Boarnet, Marlon G. "National Transportation Planning: Lessons from the U.S. Interstate Highways." National Transportation Planning: Lessons from the U.S. Interstate Highways. Elsevier Ltd., 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.