Interstate Highways

Cars and highways are interdependent; the survival of one relies on the existence of the other. As cars became more sophisticated and accessible to people there was a need for better roadways. At the turn of the twentieth century automobiles emerged as a luxury vehicle for the wealthy. For sure a rough ride, dirt, cobbled, and brick roads provided sufficient access for vehicles. But, in 1909, the first Model-T rolled off the Ford assembly line creating a need for a new kind of road; strategically constructed highways. The Model-T, the first car to be mass produced on an assembly line, made cars affordable to the average white American. Each year, as cars increasingly became more affordable, American reliance on automobiles grew. The Model-T, “conferred to Americans the notion of automobility as something akin to natural law, a right endowed by our Creator.”[1] By 1920 one in ten people in Ohio owned an automobile and, of cities ranked with the greatest relative number of cars, Cleveland ranked seventh.[2] Car accidents and traffic jams became frequent obstacles for motorists struggling to get around busy streets with street-cars and un-motorized traffic. In 1929, Cleveland Plain Dealer headlines, such as “West Siders Back Express Highway” and “Plan to Speed Traffic West: Lakewood and Cleveland Citizens Unite in Drafting Boulevard Route,” reflected public support for new highways. Automobile owners wanted paved roads created exclusively for motorized vehicles.

Old rugged highways and state routes crisscrossing the United States proved to be insufficient for automobile traffic. In 1913 the Lincoln Highway Association was developed by Carl Fisher and proposed to construct a concrete highway spanning thirteen states and 3,400 miles from New York to San Francisco. In 1929 the Lincoln Highway Association began acquiring land and financial support in Ohio in order to begin highway construction through the state. Motorists, along with automobile manufacturers and related industries, all supported highway construction.[3]

Despite private financial support for highways, “the states through which the [Lincoln Highway] passes accepted the route chosen by the [Lincoln Highway Association] and although the organization…has made contributions, the states have done the most toward making the highway a reality.”[4] Despite the huge expense to the state, Ohio permitted the Lincoln Highway Association to begin construction of the highway. Many states found highway development too expensive though the demand for highways increased with each car sale.