The Results that came from the creation of the Interstate

 

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.