The Interstates...
an overview. Some will know that Eisenhower was in large part responsible for the building of our current interstate system. The overall goal was to span the east to the west with roadways that would expedite travel while at the same time link our great cities. Had they been able to fast forward 60-70 yrs they would have realized one very large mistake had been made...the linking of the cities. Travel on the interstates in and around our cities over the years has become nothing less than a bottleneck as well as being dangerous.
Most cities have built bypasses that relieve these conditions and many if not most have turned these bypasses in to commercial zones that lead to even more pressures. As an example...the I459 bypass around Birmingham was one of the better ones when first built. But over the years is also becoming commercialized.
What they designers should have done was to build the interstate system near enough to the cities to be considered linked and yet far enough to not be impacted by commercial traffic.
Most cities have built bypasses that relieve these conditions and many if not most have turned these bypasses in to commercial zones that lead to even more pressures. As an example...the I459 bypass around Birmingham was one of the better ones when first built. But over the years is also becoming commercialized.
What they designers should have done was to build the interstate system near enough to the cities to be considered linked and yet far enough to not be impacted by commercial traffic.
