THE IMPACT OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM ON NON METROPOLITAN GROWTH

The objectives of the research reported herein were: (i) to identify the factors involved in demographic and economic change in nonmetropolitan areas of the U.S. over the period 1950 to 1975, and (ii) establish the role of the Interstate Highway System. Three major analyses were conducted: (i) net migration and employment change was compared for counties with and without Interstates using descriptive statistics; (ii) a simple model of highway impact was developed and tested using path analysis, in order to explicate the relationship between freeways, employment change and net migration; (iii) the importance of transportation vis-a-vis non-transportation factors in affecting development was assessed using a series of multiple regression models. The results of the research showed that, while countries with Interstates, as a group, have higher average growth rates, even after confounding factors such as adjacency to metropolitan areas and urban population concentrations are controlled, the presence of a limited access highway is far from an assurance of development for an individual county. Tourist services are the industry most closely associated with Interstates, but, contrary to common conceptions, manufacturing and wholesaling are not clearly associated. The Interstate System was less able to explain the spatial pattern of development than non-transportation factors.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Texas, Dallas

  Graduate Program in Political Economy
  Richardson, TX  United States  75080

  Department of Transportation

  Office of University Research, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Briggs, R
• Publication Date: 1980-12

Media Info

• Pagination: 127 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Counties; Economic development; Impact studies; Urban growth
• Identifier Terms: Interstate Highway System
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Society; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00393953
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOTRSPA-DPB-50-81-20Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-RC-92040
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 30 1985 12:00AM