ROAD TRIP – The Interstate Highway System (many Links)

The United States Interstate highway system is a unique American Cultural phenomenon.

Initiated as a civil defense tool by President Eisenhower after seeing the autobahns built in NAZI Germany in World War Two, our interstate highway system spans across the country east, west, north and south. It allows everyone to see every corner of our beautiful country if they choose.

Because Americans are one of the most prosperous people in history, travel to all of these great places is available to higher percentage of our population than any other country in the world.

And, with the safest environment for travel – few bandits, drug cartels, Muslim extremist or communist countries to rob, beat, behead or imprison you, there are no better choices around the world.

Just think of the Road Trips you can take –

• Key West Florida
• Gulf Shores Alabama
• The Alamo in San Antonio Texas
• Santa Fe New Mexico
• The Grand Canyon in Arizona
• Las Vegas in Nevada
• Lake Tahoe in Nevada / California
• Muir Woods to see the only stand of American redwood trees
• The Pacific coast highway from San Francisco north through California, through Oregon to Seattle.
• Ski in Jackson Hole Wyoming
• Check out the Great Salt Lake or Bryce Canyon in Utah
• Stop in Colorado and ski, trek, or just enjoy the Rocky Mountains
• Head north to South Dakota and the Black Hills
• Or the Badlands of North Dakota.
• See the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota (there are more than 15,000 no matter what the license plate says)
• See why Wisconsin is called America’s Dairyland (more cows than people?)
• Vista Chicago or Springfield Illinois – Abe Lincoln’s home town
• Ohio has the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in Canton and the “roller coaster capital of the world at Cedar Point”.
• Michigan has more shoreline than most states and countries in the world – and great beaches and sand dunes too.
• Tennessee and Kentucky has mountains, music and beautiful and some great cities
• Squeaking of cities, the east coast oozes American History – Boston MS, New York NY, Philadelphia PA, Washington DC, Richmond VA, Charleston SC , Saint Augustine FL and many, many more.

There are millions of locations and more fun than we can imagine. Our American Culture has produced so many wonderful things – our interstate highway system is just one – but a big one.

Frequently Asked Interstate Highway Questions

Click any question below for your answer

• Who created the Interstate System?
• Why is President Dwight D. Eisenhower called the “Father of the Interstate System”?
• How long is the Interstate System?
• Who built the Interstate System?
• Who owns it?
• What did it cost?
• Why did the Federal Government pay 90 percent of the cost?
• Did construction of the Interstate System contribute to the national debt?
• Why did it cost so much more than expected?
• What was the first Interstate?
• When did the program end?
• Who sets traffic rules on the Interstate System?
• What happened to the 55 mph Federal speed limit?
• Is the left lane for higher speeds?
• Why are bicycles prohibited from using the Interstate shoulders?
• Are the Interstates really safer?
• Why don’t you put metric speed and distance signs on the Interstate System?
• Who numbered the Interstates?
• Why doesn’t the Interstate System have an I-50?
• I-99 is out of sequence—what can be done about it?
• Why don’t you correct inconsistencies in numbering?
• Who designed the Interstate shield?
• What is the story behind the “Eisenhower Interstate System” signs—and why don’t all the States put them up?
• Was President Eisenhower really surprised to discover that the Interstate System included urban freeways?
• If I want to suggest another Interstate, how should I go about it?
• How can I get more lanes on my Interstate?
• How can we get an interchange built to improve access to the Interstate System?
• There’s a big pothole on my Interstate—who could I contact?
• How can the States charge tolls on Interstates I paid taxes to build?
• How can I get a commemorative name for the Interstate in my town/county/State?
• Is it true that one out of every five miles is straight so airplanes can land on the Interstates?
• Is it true that every so often there has to be a curve in a section of Interstate, to help keep drivers from falling asleep?
• Can I set up a business in safety rest areas or welcome centers selling food or other products to motorists?
• Why don’t you pick up the litter?
• Didn’t the Lady Bird Johnson Act ban billboards along the Interstate System?
• Can I pick the beautiful wildflowers along the Interstate? 
• Can my science class or community organization plant trees or flowers on Interstate rights-of-way near our city? 
• Why do we call Interstate turnpikes “freeways” if they charge tolls?
• What is vertical clearance and why did the Department of Defense (DOD) object to the minimum vertical clearance for the Interstate System in the 1950s?
• When did President Eisenhower sign the Highway Revenue Act of 1956?

State Maps In The Interstate Highway System