Those who initially designed and built the nation’s freeway
and interstate systems – the interstate system also known as the Eisenhower
Interstate Highway System, would surely be appalled and ashamed at the state of
our modern Interstate Highway System. This
statement is true because of the decrepit state of many of the roads and bridges
as well as the clearly outdated and under-designed nature of the modern interstate
roadway system as a whole.
Undoubtedly, those Founding Fathers of the freeways and
highways gave too much credit to the nation’s leadership which followed – in that
those early builders of the freeways and highways likely believed that any
follow-on leadership would maintain, rebuild, and expand the roadway systems as
the growing American society required.
Of course, to date, the maintaining of the capacity of the roadways never
kept pace with the requirements of the nation’s society - apparently as a result
of the inept and apathetic nature of the typical and subsequent politicians which
followed the initial construction of that Interstate roadway system. Much of the builders’ forward-thinking intent of the Interstate
System is evident to this day with some of the overpass designs as well as the
expanses of right of ways set aside for any such roadway upgrades, upgrades
which overall have not manifested in the sixty-plus years of the Interstate
Highway System.
Adam Trotter (November 2019)
See:
History of the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
See also:
Better Designed Roadways Will Reduce Greenhouse Gas
Emissions from Vehicles.
https://engineeringandcommerce.blogspot.com/2017/06/better-designed-roadways-will-reduce.html
