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igned into law in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisen- S hower, the Federal-Aid Highway Act resulted in one of the greatest public works proj- RTD INSIGHT ect in history. In the 60 years since the project began, the interstate highway SECTION E • RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH system has been a part of American • SATURDAY culture as construction projects, as ev- , JUNE 25, 2016 • RICHMOND.COM eryday transportation, and as an inte- gral part of our way of life. Eisenhower considered the act one of the most important achieve- ments of his two terms in offi ce. He believed the act would result in the elimination of un- safe and ineffi cient routes, reduce traf- fi c jams, and provide a means of quick evacuation of urban areas. The act authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of nation-spanning in- terstate highways fi nanced mostly by the federal government. The act was 60The interstate highway Finding meaning expanded in 1968 and 1973 to eventu- system celebratescelebrates a a ally build more than 46,000 miles of Road in the numbers roadway. project milestone Major interstate routes are designated by one- or two-digit The early days To see a gallery of photos numbers. Odd numbers run north and of highway construction in south, such as I-95. Even numbers run Virginia through the years, go east and west, such as I-64. For north-south to Richmond.com. routes, the lower numbers start in the west, while the lower-numbered east-west routes Designing the shield are in the south. When a major route has two parallel or di- After the enactment of the Federal-Aid verging branches, each branch is given the Highway Act, state o cials were asked designation of the main route, followed by to suggest designs for the interstate a letter indicating a cardinal direction of marker. Approved on Aug. 14, 1957, the travel. In Texas, I-35 splits at Hillsboro, with adopted design was submitted by 46,726 MILES I-35E going through Dallas, while I-35W goes Texas with the addition of the word “In- Total distance covered across the through Fort Worth. They merge back to- TIMES-DISPATCH terstate” as proposed by Missouri. A car stuck on a route between United States by the interstate highway gether at Denton. Richmond and Washington, D.C., in 1919. system. Major route numbers generally go through Safer roads urban areas. Connecting routes and circum- E orts to construct a network of highways ferential beltways around urban areas carry began in 1916 with the passage of the Federal A primary reason for the construction a three-digit number. These routes are des- Aid Road Act. However, construction was of the interstate highway system was $128.9 BILLION ignated with the number of the main route mostly on an ad hoc basis, and World War to make roads safer. When construc- and an even-numbered prefi x. To prevent I prevented signifi cant implementation. In tion began, the national fatality rate Total cost of the interstate highway sys- duplication within a state, a progression of 1921, another act was passed targeting the was 6.05 deaths per 100 million vehicle tem. The federal government covered prefi xes is used for the three-digit numbers. construction of a national grid of connected miles traveled. Today, that rate is 0.8 90 percent of the cost. The other 10 For example, if I-80 runs through three cit- highways. As tra c increased, the need for deaths. The advancement of technol- percent was fi nanced by the states. ies in a state, circumferential routes around an expanded interconnected national system ogy on the roads themselves and in the these cities would be numbered as I-280, became apparent. President Franklin D. Roo- vehicles on them has contributed to the I-480, and I-680. sevelt designated eight corridors for study as overall reduction in the death rate. superhighways in 1938. Finding a champion in 3,020.54 Eisenhower, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of BELOW: The construction of 1956 was passed. Interstate 95 through Richmond. MILES Tall tales on the open road I-90 that runs from Seattle to Boston is As with many large-scale projects, myths the longest route in the system. surround the origins of the system and the reasons for certain design features:

MYTH Eisenhower conceived the 17.62 MILES 1 interstate system. The interstate system was fi rst I-97 that runs from Annapolis, Md., to described in a report to Congress in 1939. Baltimore is the shortest route in the Eisenhower didn’t conceive the interstate system. system, but his support led to the Federal- Aid Highway Act of 1956, which established the program for funding and building it. 3,233.45 MYTH Defense was the primary reason 2 for the interstate system. MILES The primary reason for the inter- Texas has the most interstate mileage, state system was civilian in nature. The with 17 routes crisscrossing the state. Department of Defense supported the inter- state system, and Congress added the words “and Defense” to its o cial name in 1956.

MYTH One in fi ve miles of the road is 16 STATES straight so airplanes can land in 3 emergencies. I-95 traverses the most states of any route, running through 16 states on the This myth has no basis in law, regulation, design — or fact. Airplanes occasionally land 1957, TIMES-DISPATCH East Coast from Florida to Maine. on interstates when no alternative is avail- Mapping the foundation able, but not because the interstates are designed for that purpose. Needing better infrastructure in the wake of World War I, the Army created a list of roads MYTH Interstates are intended to of importance to wartime needs in 1921. In serve only tra c going from the following year the map, known as the 4 state to state. Pershing Map, was presented to Congress by The interstate system serves interstate, re- General of the Armies John Pershing. Eventu- gional and intrastate tra c and was always ally many of the 78,000 miles of roads were expected to do so. built, and a number of the routes became interstate highways. MYTH Interstate numbers must be consistent with the numbering 5 plan. Laying it out The numbering plan is helpful in choosing While the interstate highway system con- numbers. However, in an irregularly shaped nects the continental 48 states, there are country, consistency is not possible. The also interstate freeways in Hawaii, Alaska and numbers are consistent for the most part, Puerto Rico. However, the highways in those but irregularities have occurred for a number locations do not include the “I” designation of reasons. on their routes. Sources: Federal Highway Administration, Library of Congress JUSTIN MORRISON/TIMES-DISPATCH

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