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50th Anniversary of Interstate Marks
Milestone for AGC
Member firms played a critical role in highway program
By AGC CEO Steve Sandherr
On June 29, 2006, America will celebrate
the 50th Anniversary of the Interstate. It marks the day that
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation that provided
the funding to construct one of the biggest engineering projects
ever undertaken, the Interstate Highway System.
This anniversary should draw Americans
to reflect on how the 46,500 miles of highway that connect
the lower 48 states has improved our quality of life and our
economy.
President Eisenhower wrote in his memoirs,
"More than any single action by the government since
the end of the war, this one would change the face of America…Its
impact on the American economy-the jobs it would produce in
manufacturing and construction, the rural areas it would open
up-was beyond calculation."
This milestone is especially important
for AGC members because of the continuous leadership you have
provided throughout the last 50 years. AGC members not only
built the Interstate Highway System, but AGC was also instrumental
in drafting and passing the legislation that authorized it.
And, AGC has played a critical role in every reauthorization
since 1956.
AGC's national and chapter staff worked
tirelessly to shape and ensure the passage of this important
legislation. When President Eisenhower's advisory committee
held public hearings in 1954 on the development of the highway
program, AGC members such as George C. Koss, AGC's 1955 president
and president of Koss Construction Co., Des Moines, Iowa and
Topeka, Kan., testified before Congress on the industry's
ability to deliver the envisioned plan for the Interstate
system. AGC representatives met with interest groups to develop
a highway program that would best meet the needs of the country.
AGC also led a successful drive to include a provision in
the legislation allowing state determination of wages.
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| Koss Construction employees, circa
1956, pave a section of Interstate U.S. 40 in Kansas,
one of the nation's first Interstate projects completed. |
AGC played another important role as
the voice of the construction industry by communicating to
the media the impact of the legislation in terms of the economy,
employment, equipment and materials, and the capacity of highway
contractors to do the job. Numerous press conferences resulted
in stories highlighting AGC's role in the development and
passage of the highway bill, including front-page stories
in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and coverage
in The Chicago Tribune, Time, the Associated Press and United
Press International. Several chapters such as the Arkansas
Chapter, Kansas Contractors Association, Texas Highway Branch
of AGC and others acted as local spokesmen for the highway
program.
After the bill passed, AGC worked proactively
with state highway officials to improve the specifications,
design, contract documents and construction practices, as
well as with engineering colleges to increase the engineering
manpower-a critical role that AGC continues to play.
The role that AGC played in passing this
ground-breaking legislation is only overshadowed by the roads,
highways and bridges that AGC members built as a result of
the funding. We are proud of the role that we have played
and will highlight these significant national achievements
as the country celebrates this important mile-marker.
One exciting event surrounding the 50th
anniversary is the reenactment of the 1919 military convoy
that traversed the continental U.S. from Washington, D.C.
to San Francisco, Calif. The convoy experience inspired then
Army Lieutenant Colonel Eisenhower that the United States
needed a modern, functional highway system. Local events are
scheduled along the reenactment routes as the 2006 convoy
traverses the country from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.
Please visit www.agc.org/interstate for information on the
convoy reenactment and other industry events commemorating
this golden anniversary organized by local chapters and the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
AGC of America and its chapters will
celebrate the passage of the Interstate Highway System-a great
American feat-to highlight the past and future of the federal
highway-aid program. When the celebrations are over, AGC will
get back to work with state DOTs and the Federal Highway Administration
to chart the course for the next 50 years.
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