Interstate 50: The Golden Anniversary

This site was created on the Interstate System's 50th Anniversary, June 29, 2006.  It takes a look back at the history of the system, and offers listings of all the main, auxiliary and business routes that make up the whole system.

In 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill that would lead to the creation of the Interstate Highway System.  It would provide 40,000 miles of high-speed travel between cities in America.

The idea for a superhighway network came from a visit to Germany during World War II.  Eisenhower took a tour of the German Autobahns, and was so impressed by how ahead of their time they really were.  He also liked the fact that the Autobahns were multi-lane thoroughfares that could carry traffic at a reasonably high speed.  Upon returning to the States, he took the concept with him.

Through the years, the Interstates have offered connections to anywhere in the nation, and they have since become the U.S. answer to the Autobahns, as Eisenhower expected.  But the occasional rush-hour traffic that clogs up the big-city freeways has become a stumbling block in the network's progress, and is expected to remain so as metropolitan areas continue to grow.

In 1991, during its 35th anniversary, the network gained a new name: the Eisenhower Interstate System (in honor of the man who made it possible).  Commemorative blue signs reflecting the name change can be seen along stretches of the nation's Interstates.

Today, the 40,000-plus mile system is mostly complete, but new routes continue to be added.  As the years roll by, we're expected to see new proposals on expanding the system.  Fifty years after its creation, millions of Americans can agree that the Interstate Highway System is truly one of the greatest freeway networks in the world.