Research paper.

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Student Name

Dr. Riley

RHET 1302

Date

The Fibers Connecting America

The evolution of the American transportation system is a remarkable driving force

towards the increasing interconnectedness of the states, enormously benefitting individuals and

industries alike. The section of this diverse system that an average American depends on the

most is perhaps the roadways. A major part of the roadways in America that connects its

numerous states is the Interstate Highway system. Since its conception, the Interstate Highway

system has expanded dramatically to 47,000 miles today (Highway Finance). The system is

named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower who championed its establishment. President

Eisenhower made the interstate system a presidential priority and under his leadership, the

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was passed and signed into law (Ike’s Interstates). The

network has fulfilled its purpose of making travel faster, convenient, shorter and more efficient

for Americans. It has also intensified interstate commerce and made everyday products both

affordable and accessible to consumers. However, it has not adjusted itself to the changing

dynamics of the American population. A rapid and long-term change is needed in the network to

accommodate those regions with rising populations into the network and make highways more

accessible to them. The Interstate Highway System has fulfilled its various intended

socioeconomic purposes. However, its adverse impact on certain communities and lack of

adaptation still leaves room for betterment.

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The interstates were meant to serve multiple purposes, including greater civilian mobility,

defense and commerce development. Since its conception, the Interstate Highway System has

served these aspects well. One of the things that President Eisenhower had experienced during

his time in the military is that road travel in America was extraordinarily time-consuming and

inefficient (Ike’s Interstates; The Evolving Interstate). The Interstate Highway System addressed

this problem by not only reforming existing infrastructure but also increased its mileage and size.

This has allowed for congestion of traffic to reduce and made mobility more efficient. The boom

in the sole-operators of vehicles and households owning more cars could also be attributed to the

interstate system (The Evolving Interstate). Faster and more efficient mobility across state lines

also led to increasing interstate commerce. The design of the interstates made it easier for trucks

to move at greater speeds and extend the supply of goods to greater lengths. As a result, every

American is dependent on the interstates today, either directly or indirectly, since every single

product has been on the interstates at some point (Highway History). This efficiency in supply in

turn is beneficial for the consumers as well since cheaper transportation leads to lower and

sustained prices.

In terms of accessibility, it is undeniable that the interstates have increased the amount of

traffic served. Statistically, the interstate system merely comprises about one percent of

America’s National Highways. But, it is met by 24% of the Nations traffic (Highway History).

This massive increase in the population served is also indicative of the economic growth that the

interstates are responsible for. Increased roadway mobility is reflective of expansive job

opportunities, meaning Americans can look for better jobs, even at places far from where they

reside. This is in turn also gives Americans with a better choice of where to reside adjusting to

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their socio-economic desires, while retaining their right to work where they want and use the

interstates as convenient means of transportation to work.

While travelling as a part of the military during the Second World War, President

Eisenhower had seen the destruction deplorable roads had caused, including 230 recorded road

accidents (Ike’s Interstates). The lack of construction and muddy conditions were particularly

dangerous for trucks to travel upon. The interstates have been extremely effective at ensuring

effective truck travel across the nation. About 71% of all the freight transportation in the U.S.

depends upon the highways (Highway History). In addition to creating numerous jobs, the

interstates have helped intensify commerce. Small businesses as well as industries have been

great beneficiaries of the interstates since efficient transportation is tantamount to a sustained

trade environment, which also benefits the consumers.

The interstates have resulted in increased speeds at which vehicles travel but they have

not disregarded safety. As an innovation, the specific standards and designs of the interstates

have helped reduce fatalities dramatically. While safer vehicles have done their part, a

combination of standards have enhanced safety. The interstates have relatively wider shoulders,

slid-resistant pavements and better visible markings and signs, all of which have resulted in a

safer driving experience. As a result, fatalities have dropped from 6.05 per 100 million miles

travelled in 1956 when the construction began to 0.8 today. In addition, this fatality rate is way

less when compared to all other roads, which have a rate of 1.44 (Highway History). Therefore,

the interstates have certainly achieved their purpose of more efficient and safer travel for

vehicles of all kinds.

However, the positive impacts of the interstates cannot be applied to every sector in the

present day. During the initial construction, the regions with greater population and population

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density received more number of highways. But, the United States has evolved since then and

domestic mobility, as well as concentration of immigration into certain areas has greatly shifted

the dynamics of the population. The national population recorded in the 1940 was 150 million,

half of what was recorded in 2010. The number of metropolitan cities with a population of over 1

million has increased from 11 back then to 49, currently. Since the purpose of the Interstates was

to reduce traffic, increase mobility and connect large cities to each other, these population

changes should have led to significant changes in the system. However, such transformation has

not happened. Since the interstates were planned and built, the population has also increasingly

moved towards the southern and western states (The Evolving Interstate). Southern states have

not only become the primary destination for domestic migrants but also for immigrants

(Mapping Migration). However, the interstate network has not kept up with these population

shifts. The system has gone through changes and expanded every year with an increase of 10%

in mileage. But, the focus of this additions has not been uniformly focused. These changes were

concentrates in the densest part of the network and not high population growth areas (The

Evolving Interstate). Southern states have been leading in terms of population growth, with about

38% percent of the entire U.S population living in the south (U.S. Census Bureau). However, the

growth of the interstates has not matched the pace at which the southern population is growing.

Maps of the interstate highway system published by the U.S. Department of Transportation show

highly concentrated network of highways in the northeastern part of the United States, when

compared to fewer highways passing through southern states like Texas and Western states like

California, that have constantly led the nation both in terms of total population and population

growth (U.S. Census Bureau). This slow-paced and lack of adaptation of the interstate system to

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the population changes in the U.S. over the years and the status quo is one of the major

disappointments for the concerned regions and a drawback of the network as a whole.

The interstates catalyzed the move from cities to suburbs. The increasing urbanization

within America’s cities had led to booming population. This led to people deciding to move to

the suburbs. The interstates, through their promising convenience for commuters, made this

decision possible for Americans who planned on living in the suburbs but work in cities

(Highway to inequity). But, the overwhelming movement of population had caused suburbs to no

longer be uncongested. Those people who left cities in hopes of lesser crowds and traffic

congestion were left disappointed since the conditions were getting as deplorable as the cities

(Lewis, p.291). This eventually led to the degradation of the standard of living of those who

lived in these cities and suburban regions. By 1990, three out of every four Americans drove to

their jobs alone. This rapid increase in both the crowd and cars increased travel times. Andreas

Duany’s analysis of this rusting of the standard of living is apt. He compares U.S. to nations like

France and Italy, where an average household does not own as many cars as an average

American household. But, the people living in those nations have more free time, since they do

not spend as much time commuting on clogged highways (Lewis, p. 265). However, this

argument could be applied to only short-transit, mostly in cities. It is crucial to recognize that the

U.S. is extremely bigger in size when compared to nations like France and Italy. So, the

argument made by Duany would not wholly pertain to the immense geography of the U.S.

Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that people in nations like France and Italy often

prefer other means such as public transportation for short-transit within their cities. Thus, the

interstates have reduced the use of cheaper and more efficient forms of transportation like busses

and trains, and made them obsolete in many areas like the South. This nonexistence of public

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transportation in crowded cities and suburbs for short-transit further worsens their traffic and

increases travel time.

The interstates have had an adverse impact on racial minorities and the poor. The

proposition that the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 brought was rather attractive since the

cities got a huge chunk of federal funding for investing some of the money from own pockets

into highway construction. This made city planners focus on reforming their cities by looking for

lands that could be turned into highways. As mentioned before, the population increase in cities

and suburbs was dramatic. The interstates were intended to serve those densely populated

regions (The Evolving Interstate). But, people of certain races, specifically African-Americans

could not move to those areas since they lacked an equal access to jobs and were denied home

loans in certain areas through a practice called ‘redlining.’ So, they crowded into smaller

neighborhoods, slums and rural areas (The Role of Highways). In order to claim federal funds

and to serve their city and suburban populations, city planners came up with a plan with a

discriminatory edge. They decided to destroy slums for the purpose of building more highways

on those lands to serve urban and suburban populations (The Role of Highways). This practice of

driving racial minorities would continue to be a symbol of the discriminatory policies that the

interstate system gave birth to. For example, the completion of the highway, I-81, which ran

through the urban center, had the same effect it has had in almost all cities that put interstates

through their hearts. It decimated a close-knit African American community (The Role of

Highways). These factors are reflective of the marginalization of the vulnerable and inequality

generated by the interstate system. The use of eminent domain was exploited to the extremes.

The officials used eminent domain to capture the dwellings of the poor and focused more on

clearing that land rather than finding a new place for those people to live, something that would

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lead at least one scholar to conclude that “racial politics guided these unfortunate developments”

(Biles, p. 851). These policies did not result in a one-time impact of the poor and racial

minorities leaving their homes and finding other places to live. Moving meant leaving jobs and

disruption of education of their children, thereby keeping the flow of misfortunes alive through

generations (Highway to Inequity). Thus, while the network made life and travel easier for the

affluent, its cost was borne by the poor and racial minorities. While the standard of living in

cities and suburbs was dropping, the standard of living for these vulnerable populations was

becoming painfully nonexistent.

Overall, the Interstate Highway System has generated both advantages and disadvantages

like any other innovation. The present appalling nature of the interstates is the result of its lack of

adaptation to the changing trends in population. For instance, in the Dallas-Fort Worth

metropolis and on the outskirts, the condition of these vital highways is visible. Due to a lack of

renovation and timely alteration based on the changing dynamics, I-45 has been left in a

vulnerable condition, with frequent accidents, jams and slowdowns. This interstate highway

connects Dallas to Houston, the fourth most populated city in the U.S. However, a huge part of I-

45 still only has two lanes open, with some parts with narrower or no shoulders at all. This has

immensely increased travel times, while making the drive harder for bigger vehicles. Therefore,

a proper revamping and maintenance of the system is needed to ensure greater efficiency. Along

with that, the repetition of past mistakes and injustices must be avoided, so that the interstate

system does not lead to isolation of a certain community but rather serves as an effective means

of commute for all Americans. Nevertheless, the expansion of the system should not be as

aggressive as to make other more efficient modes of small-distance transit obsolete, especially in

cities. Hence, a better, more inclusive strategy is needed to further enhance this ambitious project

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championed by President Eisenhower. Better plans, and upholding of justice and the rule of law

is needed to make this system work for all Americans. The further enhancement of this

incredible innovation depends on these factors which are necessary to ensure the best and

effective use of American taxpayer money.

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