Taking it on the road. . .

ISSUE 15 – STEVE KOVACS FUN WITH MAPS

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (June 29, 2020) – In Issue 15 of Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps feature, he teaches us the history of the U.S. Interstate roadways

Time for a Road Trip… Dwight Eisenhower Style 

The US Interstate System was born 64 years ago.  President Eisenhower championed the idea after being inspired by the German Autobahn in World War II. 

The 48,000 mile system was virtually completed by 1992, at an average cost of about $11 million/mile.  For the trivia fans out there, the lowest speed limit at 40 mph is in a Maryland section and the highest speed limit at 80 mph is in many parts of the wide open West (where more cars roam than buffalo).  Germany, of course, still has no speed limit on large portions of the Autobahn.  German Engineering. 

Can you imagine car travel nowadays without Interstate highways? 

Of course, there was plenty of travel on roads pre-Interstate, just a bit slower.  This pictorial map from 1946 shows the sites of the country and the Greyhound Bus Line’s routes on two lane roads.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Click here to visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.

Pictorial Greyhound Routes across the USA – 1946 Map (Credit Steve Kovacs)