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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nPresident Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 on June 29, 1956, while he was in the hospital recovering from an illness. Initially, the interstate highway system\u2019s primary purpose was not to enhance casual driving over long distances but to provide for the efficient movement of military vehicles if and when necessary. At the time we were in the midst of the cold war, so that made some amount of sense. The original name was the \u201cNational System of Interstate and Defense Highways.\u201d In October, 1990, President Bush signed legislation changing it to the \u201cDwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The longest interstate is I-90 (3,085.3 miles) from Seattle to Boston.
The shortest interstate is I-97 (17.6 miles) from Annapolis to Baltimore.
The state with the most Interstate mileage is Texas with 3,232.04 miles.
The state with the most Interstate routes is New York, with 29 routes.
The Interstate route that crosses the most states is I-95 \u2014 it crosses 16 states, from Florida to Maine.
The highest Interstate route number is I-990, north of Buffalo, New York.
The lowest Interstate route number is I-4, across Florida.
The only state without any Interstate routes is Alaska \u2014Hawaii has three Interstates (H-1, H-2, and H-3.) \u2014 honestly, I don\u2019t understand why there are interstate highways in Hawaii\u2026..<\/p>\n\n\n\n
East-west Interstate route numbers end in an even number \u2014 north-south routes end in an odd number.
Three-digit Interstate highway numbers represent beltways or loops, attached to a primary Interstate highway (represented by the last two numbers of the beltway\u2019s number.) For example, Washington D.C.,s beltway is numbered 495, because its parent highway is I-95.
If the first digit of a three-digit Interstate number is odd, it is a spur into a city. If it is even, it goes through or around a city.
There are five state capitals not directly served by the Interstate systems \u2014 Juneau, Alaska, Dover, Delaware, Jefferson City, Missouri, Carson City, Nevada, and Pierre, South Dakota.
In modern history, France was the first Western nation to begin building a system of national highways \u2014 in 1716.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something you may have heard, but it\u2019s not true, is that one out of every five miles of the Interstate Highway System must be built straight and flat, so as to be useable by aircraft during times of war. It\u2019s interesting to note that during World War II, the Germans used the Autobahns for just that purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyhow, even though the system is getting old and needs some updates and repairs, it\u2019s still going strong and it\u2019s use still makes it possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.\u00a0
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s been a lot of talk about our deteriorating infrastructure lately. Obviously, it\u2019a been neglected over the years and certainly needs to be upgraded and repaired. When a lot of people hear infrastructure, they think of the roads, and specifically … Continue reading