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Web site marks 50th anniversary of interstates

In preparation for the 50th Anniversary of the Interstate Highway System in 2006, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on June 29 launched a web site dedicated to honoring that historic event: http://www.interstate50th.org.

July 6, 2006 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the date President Dwight David Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, the legislation credited with creating the modern U.S. Interstate Highway System known as the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

The web site is part of AASHTO’s year-long observance of the Interstate Highway System’s anniversary and its significance in unifying the nation and providing mobility to its citizens.

“The Interstate Highway System has transformed the way the nation works, plays and travels. This 50th anniversary is a time for recognition of that historic achievement, but it is also a vantage point to look 50 years ahead to see what is needed to ensure the system continues to be an economic engine equal to the demands of our growing nation,” said AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley. “State transportation agencies, which built and own the nation’s Interstate system, will play a key role in celebrating its success and examining its future.”

The Web site will expand over the next 20 months to serve as a clearinghouse of Interstate Anniversary activities in the states. Users will be able to view the history of the Interstate system, learn facts about the system, contribute personal Interstate stories, and view the stories of Interstate pioneers and unique engineering feats of the 47,000-mile network.

Next summer it will feature a daily report of a cross-country convoy retracing the route of the two-month 1919 military convoy in which then Lieutenant Colonel Dwight David Eisenhower traveled from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco.

Visit http://www.interstate50th.org throughout 2005 and 2006 to learn more about the Interstate Highway System and the observance of its 50th Anniversary.

AASHTO, founded in 1914, represents the 50 U.S. state highway departments and the agencies of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.