General
Legacy ID
21
What Comes After 1972?
With the end of the Interstate program in sight, Federal Highway Administrator Rex Whitton used the title of his annual address to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) in October 1963 to put a simple question before State highway leaders: "What Comes After 1972?"...
The Size of the Job
In 1961, the Bureau of Public Roads issued a summary of what it would take to build "the greatest peacetime public works program in history." Referring to the 41,000-mile Interstate System as it was then designated and its completion date in the early 1970s, the summary offered...
Section 4(F)
The Department of Transportation Act of 1966 included an environmental provision that had a major impact on the Interstate System and other Federal-aid highway projects. Under "General Provisions," Section 4(f) called on the Secretary to consult with the Secretaries of the Interior, Housing and...
The Man Who Saved the Interstate System
Rex Marion Whitton was born on a farm in Jackson County, Missouri. He worked on the farm while attending school. At the University of Missouri, he waited tables and made beds at boarding houses to help pay his way. In April 1920, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering although, as...
The Best Counter to Critics
At the peak of the Interstate System's greatest decade, Interstate openings occurred all over the country. The following list was compiled from news clippings gathered by the Bureau of Public Roads for the second half of 1964. ederal Highway Administrator Rex Whitton, who...
The Greatest Decade 1956-1966: Part 2 The Battle of Its Life
Celebrating the 50TH Anniversary of the Eisenhower Interstate System
by Richard F. Weingroff
Even as construction continued at a record pace, the Interstate System needed a savior-and found one in Missouri...
Shields and Signs
To mark the Interstate routes, the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) asked its member States to submit suggestions. The States submitted dozens of ideas in several forms, ranging from a 55mm color transparency to a 4-foot square aluminum blank. AASHO's U.S. Route Numbering...
Right of Passage: The Controversy Over Vertical Clearance on the Interstate System
When the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) issued design standards for the Interstate System, the minimum design value of 14 feet was included for vertical clearance (that is, the distance from the Interstate pavement to the bottom of overpasses). Although 14 feet was...