The
Results that came from the creation of the Interstate:
There were many positive and negative results that
came from the building of the interstate. One of the more famous negative
results that came from the construction of the interstate is known as the Great
Interstate Revolt.
The Great Interstate Revolt- While most
people supported the interstate highway act once the construction began people
began to think otherwise. The highways further segregated the inner cities and
the suburbs. People were displaced from their homes in the city. People began to revolt back against the highway act.In 1959 in San
Francisco the Board of Supervisors stopped the construction of the
double-decker Embarcadero Freeway lengthwise the
waterfront. In the 1960s, activists in New York City, Baltimore, Washington,
D.C., New Orleans and other cities managed to prevent further construction from
eviscerating their neighborhoods.
This resulted in what we call today “the roads to nowhere” from the abrupt
ending of the construction.
Other
Negative Results included:
• Increased
traffic has resulted in smog or pollution.
• Major
contributor to global warming
• Dependence
on automobiles to travel has resulted in dependence on oil, gas, and other
petroleum products
• The
system was built to serve a nation of 170 million and today the US has a
population of approximately 270 million.
• The
system is in need of repairs, the estimated cost to maintain and repair the
system exceeds 3 billion a year even though the system itself cost 129 billion
• The
popularity of the system has resulted in congestion.
Positive
results included:
• Lowered
travel time by hours and increased the reliability of shipment of goods for
lower costs.
• Provided
bigger selections for consumers while increasing competition for business.
• More
options for growth of communities
• Provided
options for less expensive land both for homeowners and businesses.
• Statistically
lower fatalities 60% less than that of other roads
• It
continues to play a part in national defense.
