50 years later ...Interstate network transformed U.S. transportation system

By Michael Davis Staff Writer EDITOR’S NOTE: To see more historic photographs of the construction of Interstate 24 through Chattanooga, go online to www.tfponline.com. Some people praise the nation’s network of interstates for tying the country together and strengthening the economy, but others deride it for adding to sprawl and traffic congestion. Fifty years after the signing of landmark interstate legislation, experts say the country must examine the future of human and commercial movement. See commercial more photos of the construction of local interstates and read about the history of these highways on Page A4. INTERSTATE NETWORK TRANSFORMED U.S. TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Half a century after leaders paved the foundation for the American interstate system, the country is at a crossroads as it considers the future of transportation. Dr. Ted Stank, a logistics and transportation professor at the University of Tennessee, said during the next 25 years the United States will be forced to re-examine how its people move. "We’ve just been kind of fat, dumb and happy that we have unlimited capacity on our highways," Dr. Stank said. Fifty years ago today, then-President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, which led to the interstate highway system. Here in Hamilton County, Interstates 24 and 75 are credited with bringing in economic development, including two major trucking companies in U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. and Covenant Transport Inc. And similar to other metropolitan areas throughout the country, the federal highways are deemed responsible for causing suburban sprawl and increasing the number of commuters working in the Scenic City. But as the Chattanooga metro area continues to grow, some officials said leaders will be forced to examine road capacity and consider alternative modes of transportation. BUILDING A NETWORK Transportation experts and officials involved in interstate construction said the roads improved the cohesion of the Southeast. In the tri-state region, Interstates 24, 59 and 75 are considered important corridors connecting major cities and points in between. Bob Brown, who was project manager on the Missionary Ridge portion of interstate in Chattanooga, said that project and others were instrumental in development and movement across the region. Driving from Nashville to Chattanooga took four hours before Interstates 24 and 40 connected the cities, but now the trip takes roughly two hours, said Mr. Brown, now regional director for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Harold Austin, who worked on interstate engineering projects in Hamilton County and throughout the region, said the federal interstate system has helped the growth in areas like Putnam and Cumberland counties, which are crossed by I-40. "It’s really had a big impact on just about any county it touched," Mr. Austin said. "You can look in any direction and see where development has followed the roads." Mr. Austin, now director of the Hamilton County Highway Department, said there never was any doubt the interstate highway system could be constructed, although the concept was a lot to grasp. "It was hard for me to imagine going coast to coast without having to stop for a traffic light," he said. Some praise the interstate system for allowing faster transportation, while others blame the road network for bypassing once-vibrant small towns and spreading a homogenous culture of chain stores and cookiecutter development. The recent Disney-Pixar film "Cars" laments I-40’s path through the American Southwest, directing traffic from the fictional Route 66 town Radiator Springs. Dr. Robert Thompson, a popular culture professor at Syracuse University, said the movie is an example of how Americans embrace old-time towns and long, slow drives. Despite a love of Route 66 signs and other nostalgia, people still want the option to cruise quickly between destinations, he said. "When you’re going to your brother’s wedding 750 miles away, you don’t want the romance" of small towns, he said. Mr. Brown said Bailey and McCallie avenues and Market and Broad streets were among the main thoroughfares in Chattanooga before the interstate came through. As people traveled between Southeastern cities, people passing through the Scenic City were likely to stop at businesses and restaurants as breaks, he said. Now, he said, it is possible they will pass through without stopping to do business. GROWING PAINS Alan Pisarski, an author and transportation consultant who lives in Falls Church, Va., said the interstate system has bolstered the economies of the South and the West by allowing easier transportation to those regions. Mr. Pisarski said the federal highway system also has allowed for greater mobility, which increases economic opportunity. "If you’re in Connecticut, and the economy’s bad, and there’s a job in Alabama, you can go," he said. Trip Pollard, land and community project leader for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said the Southeast is experiencing transportation problems associated with the interstate system. Among the issues are sprawl and local residents using the highways for simple trips across town, he said. Truck freight also has clogged the interstate, and officials need to consider shifting the movement of some goods to trains to reduce traffic congestion, he said. "Our interstate has basically become a massive warehouse system," Mr. Pollard said. Greg Thompson, spokesman for U.S. Xpress said company officials are committed to discussing congestion and other transportation issues. While rail is a viable option, there are limits to its capacity, he said. Geography may limit some interstate expansion locally. Mr. Brown said I-24 around Moccasin Bend is bound by the Tennessee River and Lookout Mountain, making it virtually impossible to widen what can be a congested stretch at rush hour. Dr. Stank said one alternative to congested interstates may be mass transportation, such as a proposed high-speed Maglev train from Chattanooga to Atlanta. However a Federal Railroad Administration report last year estimated that Maglev would cost $40 million to $100 million per mile. Mr. Pisarski, meanwhile, said it will grow more and more difficult for mass transit to be a viable option as the population fans farther out from urban centers and jobs follow to more rural areas. Dr. Thompson said that while some urban areas may be able to improve transit systems, the country was wed to roads with the signing of the interstate act. "It was a fork in the road, and we can’t go back on it," he said. "It was a commitment that this nation was going to be an automobile-based nation." E-mail Michael Davis at michaeld@timesfreepress.com FAST FACTS The first interstate section opened in the Volunteer State was Interstate 65 at the Tennessee-Alabama line in 1958. Interstate 75 through Georgia was finished in 1977. The dirt moved for construction of the interstate system nationwide could bury Connecticut knee-deep. America’s interstate network extends more than 46,000 miles. Sources: Tennessee and Georgia Departments of Transportation and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials NUMBER OF MILES 1,105 Number of interstate miles in Tennessee; Georgia has 1,244 miles of interstates 455 Number of miles I-40 runs through Tennsesee; more miles of I-40 than in any other state. 355 Number of miles I-75 runs through Georgia, the longest interstate route in the Peach State.