ST. PAUL, Minn.—The Minnesota Department of Transportation today marked the 50th anniversary of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's signing of the 1956 Federal Highway Act, the impetus behind the 47,000-mile national system of interstate and defense highways.
Agency officials, the Federal Highway Administration and employees who built the system addressed the significance of the nation’s interstate from state and national perspectives.
"Building the interstate highway system has shaped our state and our country,” said Lt. Gov. and Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau. "Interstate highways are critical links between urban and rural areas and have made it easier to connect with family and provided better access to goods and services."
"As we speak people are packing up for the 4th of July, heading to their favorite lake or state park and getting there more easily because of the highway system," Molnau said.
Molnau acknowledged that building the system wasn’t an easy task.
"Some communities disappeared while others were born due to its construction. But the effort improved our overall quality of life and brought mobility, safety and commerce to Minnesota," Molnau said.
Tom Sorel, FHWA division administrator, said the interstate highway system might be considered the greatest public works project in history.
Sorel said the interstate system comprises just over one percent of the nation's roads, yet carries more than 24 percent of travel, including 40 percent of total truck miles.
"The interstate highways are so much a part of daily life that most of us do not realize that the system we use to get to work, to school, to the mall, and to vacations is one of the 'wonders of the world,'" he said.
Molnau and Sorel said the day's commemoration is an opportunity to look ahead to what we need to do to keep the system strong and safe for the next 50 years.
"Mn/DOT, like other states, will now focus more of our transportation dollars on maintaining and preserving this valuable public asset," said Molnau. "Our goal is not to backslide. We expect that with some careful thought and investment decisions, we can continue to enjoy the benefits of this remarkable system."
Molnau cited examples of continued improvement of the interstate system in Minnesota. They include a research center near Monticello on Interstate 94 that uses three miles of the freeway to develop improved pavements and a length of I-394 dedicated to optional tolling to better use excess capacity in the freeway’s high-occupancy vehicle lanes. She said initiatives like targeting 100 percent of the state's Motor Vehicle Sales Tax to transportation is major step in securing the system's future.
Sorel said the charge now is to keep that system functioning as efficiently as possible, keeping people and commerce on the move, not stuck in traffic.
"Launching the interstate system in 1956 demanded leadership and bold thinking. If we approach today's challenges with similar boldness and determination, then our efforts will also be remembered for generations to come," he said.
Dick Braun, a career transportation employee and State Transportation Commissioner from 1979 - 1986, recognized three Mn/DOT employees with 50 or more years of service with the agency, Darlene Lazer, Jack Pirkl and George Thibault.
"The trio has worked in the transportation field since the dawn of the interstate. Their careers began with the start of the interstate system in Minnesota and paralleled its design and construction. Now, they share in the innovations under way to improve its longevity and capacity," said Braun.
Mn/DOT's commemoration is one of several state and national events designed to mark the occasion of the 1956 highway legislation. Nationally, a caravan representing transportation industry and travel and tourism groups has been traveling I-80 from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., and is set to conclude its journey today. For more information about the state and national events, visit the Mn/DOT Web site at www.dot.state.mn.us/interstate50/.
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