FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAY ACT OF 1956: CREATING THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM

A chronology of Federal Aid Highway Acts reveals the birth of the interstate system: in 1938, authorization to study the feasibility of a six-route network of toll superhighways; in 1944, designation of a 65,000 km system of interstate highways; in 1952, authorization of $25 million for the interstate system on a 50-50 matching basis. With the election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower came an urgency to solve the nation's highway problems via the interstate system. President Eisenhower placed primary responsibility for developing a financing mechanism for the grand plan on retired General Lucius D. Clay and the "Clay Committee". Senator Albert Gore Sr. was drafting a bill simultaneously. Clay's bill was defeated by the House of Representatives in 1955; the Senate had approved the Gore bill in 1955, but it remained in the House. A revised bill by Representative George Fallon--Federal Highway Act of 1956--was endorsed by Eisenhower in January and became law on June 29, 1956. Eisenhower's commitment to the interstate system changed the face of America. This article details the establishment of the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways through legislative battles and funding wars. Sidebars describe the pivotal figures in promoting the interstate system. Two additional sidebars explain the Highway Trust Fund and the creation of edge cities.

• Record URL:
  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/96summer/p96su2.cfm
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1586080
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Weingroff, R F
• Publication Date: 1996

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: p. 10
• Serial:
  • Public Roads
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Federal Highway Administration
  • ISSN: 0033-3735
  • Serial URL: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Federal government; Finance; Highway planning; Interstate highways; Laws and legislation; Programming (Planning); State highway departments
• Identifier Terms: Federal Aid Highway Act; Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956; Highway Trust Fund; Interstate Highway System
• Old TRIS Terms: Financial programming
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Finance; Highways; Law; Planning and Forecasting; I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00730804
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 3 1997 12:00AM