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| Re: Karl Rove (4918) | |||
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Re: Karl Rove |
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Posted by egis semaly on Tue Nov 30 22:02:25 2004, in response to Re: Karl Rove, posted by BIE on Tue Nov 30 21:45:29 2004. I disagree with Fred on this one. Eisenhower saw the need for such a road network as early as 1919 when it took too long to transport troops around the country on the then existing road net. The autobahns in Germany convinced him of the efficacy of the idea.The following was borrowed from the Eisenhower Presidential Library site. " Together, the united forces of our communication and transportation systems are dynamic elements in the very name we bear -- United States. Without them, we would be a mere alliance of many separate parts." -- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, February 22, 1955 "An inter-state highway system was first considered in the 1930's. President Roosevelt expressed interest in the idea as a way of providing jobs. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1938 directed the chief of the Bureau of Public Roads (precursor to today's Federal Highway Administration) to study the feasibility of a six-route national toll road network. The study did not recommend a national toll road system since the then-existing traffic levels would not support its cost. It further recommended a 26,000-mile non-toll "inter-regional" highway network. In high-traffic areas, it would have two lanes in the same direction and limited- access design. The recommendation essentially asked for a 1930's version of today's Interstate system. "The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 created a 40,000-mile "National System of Interstate Highways," but without national importance and no increase in federal funding. Construction of this system began in August 1947, but without increased federal support, many states balked at the idea. Road design standards were not always uniformly applied. "The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952 authorized funds on a 50/50 state/federal matching level. These were the first funds dedicated to this cause. But even then, the amount ($25 million) was not enough. When President Eisenhower assumed office in 1953, only 6,000 miles had been completed at a cost of $955 million. " Remembering his 1919 Army trip plus his reaction to how quickly German (and later, Allied) troops could move around that country in World War 2 on the autobahns (built in 1935), Eisenhower pressed for a national highway system. While he wanted such a system, he didn't start it as is commonly believed. What made the idea catch on was his ability to convince people that this was a national, not state, issue. After his transcontinental Army trip he thought a national network of two-lane, paved roads would be sufficient, and in the 1930's that was probably true. That changed after he saw the speed and efficiency offered by the four-lane German autobahns. "The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, created today's Interstate system and was signed by President Eisenhower on June 29, 1956 in a hospital room without any fanfare. (He was recovering from illness.) The federal government would pay 90% of the cost, because it was realized now that this project was national in scope. It further called for road design standards to accommodate traffic levels forecast for 1975, which was later modified to a 20-year forecast. In 1966, all Interstates were required to be at least four lanes with no at-grade railroad crossings. Existing toll roads could continue as Interstate toll roads provided they met Interstate standards. In 1991, the U.S. Congress finally decided to repay states with toll roads that later became Interstates." |
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