Thursday is the 50th anniversary of the signing of the bill that authorized the interstate highway system, what many say was one of the most important events for the nation?s middle class because it allowed for the freedom to travel long distances at less expense. It allowed for the shipping of products more easily via trucks instead of relying on the railroads.
As a young Lt. Col., future president Dwight D. Eisenhower was part of a huge convoy that traveled from the East Coast to the West in order to prove the mobility of the armed forces. Eisenhower joined the convoy the first night out of Washington in Frederick. Time and time again this group ran into roadblocks both literal and figurative because of roads that didn?t connect, bridges that couldn?t carry more than a horse cart?s weight and roads too narrow to move large trucks.
It didn?t take long for the convoy to get stuck back in 1919. Shortly after they left on their trip West, they ran into a covered bridge over Tom?s Creek in Emittsburg that blocked their progress and required a significant detour. This afternoon,s Maryland highway officials will commemorate the event and place a historic market along U.S. Route 15 near Tom?s Creek.
There are certainly arguments one can make that the interstate highway system has done as much damage as it has good. The ability of people to live where they wanted without regard for the bus or rail lines led to the sprawling developments we know today. Transit systems in several major cities were dismantled as more and more people drove their new cars to the office instead of taking the trolley. Suburbs became exurbs and businesses developed around those moving there, instead of the other way around. All of this has led to a severe increase in air pollution spread over even broader areas.
Of course, the horses have left the barn. There is no way to turn back unless everyone is willing to move to the inner city. The solutions are not cheap, but transit systems like the Red Line, which bring commuters into the city from the ?burbs, are a very good investment. We need the interstate system but we also need to
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