The U.S. interstate highway system is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Fifty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill to pay for the wide ribbons of highways that connect America's cities and towns.
The system of highways profoundly changed American society: where we live, how we live and how much we depend on our cars.
In honor of this milestone, Melissa Block and Michele Norris talk to three civil engineers about their favorite part of the system.
Utah engineer Tom Warne cites the I-10 deck tunnels in Phoenix — a series of bridges and tunnels that preserved two historic neighborhoods and provided park space for residents.
Linda Pierce of the Washington State Department of Transportation says she thinks the most impressive part of the U.S. highway system is the pavement — in her home state.
And Mike Gramza of the Ohio Department of Transportation singles out the Veterans' Glass City Skyway outside Toledo.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
