Unintended consequences often have a more profound outcome than the planned changes that the thing should make. This is why it is important to understand them and possibly even predict them. The topic that I will be looking at is the The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The Federal-Aid Highway Act was signed into law in 1956 and allowed for the construction of over 65,000km more of highway to help lower traffic. It was modeled after the highway system that the Germans had during WWII. An unintended consequences of it which was negative was displacement of people in the city neighborhoods and the urban interstates would use up far money than originally predicted. With the highways running in and out of cities, the surrounding suburbs had to have room in it for the highway. To do this, people had to move and houses had to be bulldozed which, as you imagine, was very annoying to the people who had to move. The urban interstates became so expensive because the government officials designing the interstates had to conduct extensive surveys and work with state and local officials in designing the highways. It may have been more expensive, but it was more necessary to work the interstates into the urban areas because that was where the traffic was the …show more content…
Before, The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, there was huge amounts of traffic in urban areas and the ludicrous amounts of traffic disappeared. The goal of the act was “to protect the vital interest of every citizen in a safe and adequate highway system” (National). Not only was the highway system that was created safe and adequate, it made it so almost every driver would reach their destination unscathed and made driving the main form of transportation. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 far exceeded the expectation of its effects and those positive repercussions are still felt
The Trans Canada Highway had faced many challenges and criticism through the thirteen years it took to construct. The most common criticism it had faced was whether it reinforced the unity and national pride it was sent out to make. There are different viewpoints from political, personal and economical levels that challenge and support the implementation of the highway. Although there were many different challenges, the highway did support a unique unity that was specific to Canada. The Trans Canada Highway helped Canada unite as one and emerge through a symbol that supported Canadian nationalism.
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 ...
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.
Carbon emissions from the steamboats polluted the air (Roark, 261). The building of roads was a major connecting point for states. There were some arguments about who would pay for these new roads.... ... middle of paper ... ...
...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.
In the end, the transcontinental railroad changed the American landscape both physically and culturally. It formed the foundation for the industrial economy, it produced new business practices and management style of large workforces. It helped established government regulations, taxation and support of public transportation. Above all it drastically changed the American lifestyle, changed where people lived, how they shopped, how they ate, and how they worked.
injuries and fatalities” (PHGR). “One of the cardinal features of sprawl is driving, reflecting a
In 1966, the National Highway Safety Bureau (NHSB) was designed by the Highway Act. NHSB’s director, Dr. William Haddon, noticed that he could prevent motor-vehicle injuries by applying public health methods and epidemiology. Various passages demanded the government to set standards for the highway and motor vehicles. The federal government responded by developing new safety features in cars such as safety belts, head rests, and shatter-resistant windshields. Barriers, reflectors, and center line strips were placed on roadways to provide direction and illumination. Traffic safety laws, wearing a safety belt, and public education encouraged drivers to make safer decisions. The use of safety belts has skyrocketed from 11% in 1981 to 68% in 1997 and decreases When the community and government understood the necessity for motor-vehicle safety, various programs such as Prior to the implementation, the rate stood at 18 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1925; however, the rate stood at 1.7 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1997. With all of the new safety features with cars, public education and enforcement of safety laws, “motor-vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States.” Over 23.9 million vehicle crashes were reported in 1997; estimated costs were around $200 billion.
Railroads made a huge contribution to the growth of the United States, they led to many advances throughout American History. There were numerous matters the railroads effected in American development and the framework of the country. The railroad had positive and negative effects on America as a whole through the growth of the industry, such as; encouraged western expansion, enhanced the economy, recognized railroad monopolies, assisted the Union in Civil War, helped keep the country together, and created a high expense cost for the nation.
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.
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)
Pros: The growth of the railroad led to an increase in efficiency in the transportation of goods, allowing for decreased prices on almost all products that needed to be transported. Furthermore, it created a large number of jobs in mines because of the increased demand for iron to build the railroads.
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.
The Highway Administration Program was concerned with the repair of the worn out roads in the country during the winter period. This owed to the falling of snow on the roads that made activities such as driving and transportation very difficult to the citizens of the country.
OTA stated that based on current trends in population and travel … the number of vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) nationwide is projected to increase by 2 to 3 percent per year from now through 2005, resulting in a cumulative increase of about 40 to 60 percent. Obviously, VMT growth could have a major impact on traffic flow in urban areas, as well as on air pollution (84).