Reasons why Eisenhower proposed the Interstate

 

The main reason that Eisenhower proposed the Interstate system was for security and evacuation purposes. A secondary reason was the high demand for Urban sprawl. This aspect of his proposal was alluring for both citizens and business professionals.

Security and Evacuation-Since World War II security was a big concern much like it became after the 9/11 attacks. Large cities were potentially large targets with high congestion. The loss of life would be great. The interstate provided a means for quick evacuation and would give the military a faster way to transport supplies. The Interstate highway system original construction was made like arteries in a heart. It divided neighborhoods into districts by separating neighborhoods by means of impassible highway arteries. The arteries were directed towards the center of the city where the most economic growth was. The result of this separated the city into districts much like it separated the more suburban communities. As the highway network became more concentrated in the more populated downtown areas it expanded outwards back toward the city limits and further. The reason for this structure choice was for quick evacuation. This was because the system was being built at the height of the Cold War and nuclear fallout was a very real fear.

Urban Sprawl- Beginning of the 1950’s migration from the major cities to the surrounding areas had increased substantially. This was because the land prices outside the cities were so low due to World War II. Business owners and developers jumped at the chance to start new outside the city.The prices and starting new were things that were not only attractive to business persons but also to citizens and soldiers returning home from war wanting to start families. The cities were still the main source of jobs so there was a need for a way for people to “commute”.