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Interstate highway system turns 50

The American Trucking Associations went on the road in June as part of a cross-country convoy commemorating the 50th anniversary of the interstate highway system. As a premier sponsor of the 50th anniversary, ATA hosted two tractor trailers in the re-enactment of the 1919 military convoy that inspired President Dwight Eisenhower to propose the creation of America’s interstate highway system.

The present day convoy, which began June 16 in San Francisco and ended June 29 in Washington, D.C., included a “Good Stuff—Trucks Bring It!” rig pulled by Werner Enterprises, also celebrating its 50th anniversary, and a Highway Watch truck. Captains of the ATA America’s Road Team, a group of professional truck drivers with superior driving skills and a desire to spread the word about safety, drove the Highway Watch tractor trailer.

ATA’s convoy participation marked just one event in a yearlong series of proceedings designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the interstate highway. ATA President and CEO Bill Graves represented trucking in a June industry policy forum scheduled to examine the current state of the interstate system, its value to America and future needs.

“Our participation reflects our commitment to ensuring that the next chapter of the American interstate highway system continues the economic and social progress of its first 50 years,” Graves says. “We’re proud to be on the road for this 50th anniversary celebration.”

The nearly 50,000 miles of the interstate highway system have enabled the trucking industry to become the economic success it is today—one that moves the U.S. economy. When President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act and Congress established the Highway Trust Fund, just 120,000 tractor trailers operated on U.S. highways, compared with the 2 million that ply our interstates today. Today, trucking hauls nearly 70 percent of all freight moved across the United States. More than 80 percent of U.S. communities depend solely on trucking for delivery of their goods and products because of the interstate highway system.

Fun facts:

• The Eisenhower Interstate System includes approximately 15,000 interchanges.

• The interstate system carries nearly 725 billion vehicle miles traveled a year.

• Only two Interstates end at international borders at both termini ( Canada and Mexico): I-5 and I-35.

• In 1955 and 1956, Congress sought a way to complete the interstate system at a cost of $27 billion. Using the Consumer Price Index, this would translate into searching for a source of $196 billion in mid-2005 dollars.