CARxR Ep. 1.04: Expanding the State Highway System after WWII

[cahwyguy]

Episode 1.04 is up: https://caroutebyroute.org/2022/10/14/carxr-ep-1-04-expanding-the-state-highway-system-after-wwii/ or https://anchor.fm/caroutebyroute/episodes/CARxR-1-04-Expanding-the-State-Highway-System-after-WWII-e1p9i7g/a-a8mkrk4 or use your favorite podcatcher.

In this episode, we're continuing to explore the history of the State Highway System, focusing on the period as WWII was ending, the Interstate system was emerging, and the construction boom was starting. This is part of our first season of California Highways: Route by Route, where we are exploring the background needed for our route by route journey. In this episode, we see the birth of the Freeway System in California, starting with the Collier-Burns act increasing state funding for highways, and State and Federal recommendations for higher-capacity systems. We see the growth in cities and urban areas pushing demand for the same, leading to the definition of the Freeway and Expressway System. We cover the passage of the 1956 Interstate Highway Act, and the subsequent freeway conversion and construction boom. Our guest interview is with Dr. Jonathan L. Gifford of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He is also the director of the Center for Transportation Public-Private Partnership Policy. His doctoral dissertation examined the history and development of the interstate highway system from its origins in the 1930s through its design and deployment in the 1960s and beyond.

Ready, set, discuss.