The Federal Highway Act championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and passed by Congress in 1956 would go down as one of the largest public infrastructure projects ever to take place in the US.

Quote:With an original authorization of 25 billion dollars for the construction of 41,000 miles (66,000 km) of the Interstate Highway System supposedly over a 10-year period....the original portion was completed 35 years later. The network has since been extended, and as of 2012, it had a total length of 47,714 miles (76,788 km), making it the world's second longest after China's. As of 2011, about one-quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country use the Interstate system. The cost of construction has been estimated at $425 billion (in 2006 dollars).

Eisenhower was influenced by the German autobahn during WWII when he saw the logistical advantages of a highway road system for the movement of troops, weapons, supplies, etc. The major impetus of the interstate system in the US was therefore based on a national defense strategy. For better and for worse, as time went by the interstates ended up shaping the development of our cities, influencing our social culture and impacting our economy. Of course, the cost to maintain the system has now become problematic as the Feds and States struggle with budgets and the environmental impacts on air quality and the dependence on foreign oil have been well documented. Are we better off as a result of the development of the interstate system, worse, or is it a break-even outcome? What do you think?