Ah, America. It knows what it likes, and it likes what it knows. We’ll resist and bypass any political opportunities that this time and place offers (25-06-27) because that would be cheap and missing the point. And, to be completely fair, there are so many good things that the US has done over the decades. One of those is the highway system. Your editor’s better half always marvels at the roads North to South, East to west. She compares this to her homes in South America.
Indeed, the roads in the US are pretty good overall, but, as anywhere, we guess, it depends on where you are. From an historical perspective, the catalyst for the modern US highway system was the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His experience observing Germany’s Autobahn during WWII convinced him of the strategic and economic value of high-quality, limited-access highways. Much of the country needs to traverse the Rocky Mountains, which are huge and can take a tremendous amount of time to conquer and many have tunnels. So, how did they overcome these hurdles: build a tunnel, of course. Not just one tunnel, of course. No, being America, it had to be a network of tunnels.
The system was conceived not just for civilian travel but also for national defense (rapid troop deployment, urban evacuation in a Cold War context) and to boost economic growth by facilitating the efficient movement of goods and people. It was a Massive Investment: This act authorized a vast network of over 40,000 miles (now over 48,000 miles) and provided substantial federal funding (often 90% federal, 10% state), ensuring a consistent standard of construction. Sadly, you cannot typically visit the inside of the Eisenhower Tunnel itself for recreational purposes. It is a vital transportation artery for Interstate 70 through the Rocky Mountains, and public access is limited to authorized personnel and occasional guided tours for educational purposes. Want to learn more? Click here to watch a video that explains it all. Get your motor running.
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