Welcome to Slow American English, the podcast for learners of American English.
I'm your host, Karen Tolliver.
This is Episode number 72, Interstate Highway System.
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Download a PDF file containing pictures of highway signs in the USA.
Enjoy! Before the US had an interstate highway system, you could drive across the country using federal highways such as Route 66 or the Lincoln Highway.
Now you can use the Interstate Highway Network, which is designed to move traffic smoothly and efficiently throughout the country.
Interstates do not have intersections.
They have overpasses, and traffic enters and exits using ramps.
In 1956, President Dwight D.
Eisenhower signed the Federal -Aid Highway Act, which he had worked hard to pass.
It authorized the construction of the Interstate Highway System, which has been called the greatest public works project in history.
Eisenhower had several reasons for wanting this project.
In 1919, as an army soldier, he was part of a large convoy that traveled cross country.
During the trip he saw that the highways in the US needed much improvement.
Then, as commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, he saw the benefits of Germany's autobahn system.
The project would create jobs, the new roads would allow easier transportation of goods, and cities could be evacuated more easily in case of military attack.
Some people believe that the straight sections of interstate highways are built as runways for military airplanes.
This is not true, although many sections could be used as runways.
Each state is responsible for the sections of interstate in that state, including construction, maintenance, setting speed limits, and enforcing traffic laws.
States receive some federal money for this.
The Federal Highway Administration, part of the Department of Transportation, helps states and local governments with building and maintaining US highways, including interstates.
They give technical and financial assistance.
Here are some more facts about the Interstate Highway System.
The system is over 46 ,000 miles long.
Each Interstate Highway is divided, meaning the lanes going in one direction, are separated from the lanes going in the other direction by a wall or a median, which is a grassy or paved strip.
Most interstates have a maximum speed limit of about 65 or 75 mph, MPH, more in remote areas, less in built -up areas.
There is no interstate without a speed limit in the U .S. Even -numbered highways run east and west. Odd -numbered highways run north and south.
Designations for specific interstate highways begin with a capital I and a hyphen plus a number.
For example, I -95 runs along the Atlantic coast. The longest Interstate I -90 is 3 ,020 miles long and stretches from Boston, Massachusetts to Seattle, Washington.
Interstate related vocabulary Pavement – the concrete or asphalt that forms the road's surface.
shoulder area along the sides of a road's lanes may or may not be paved right -of -way area where cars and trucks drive beltways circular interstate highways around large cities superhighway high -speed highway with multiple lanes, also called expressway, freeway, or turnpike.
Toll road, highway that costs money to drive on.
Take the interstate.
For informal conversations, people in the U .S. say take the interstate when they mean use the nearest interstate highway.
The person they are speaking to will know which interstate highway the speaker means.
It can also mean multiple interstate highways along the route.
For example, the quickest way from Florida to California is to take the interstate means multiple interstate highways.
That's the podcast for this time.
Slow American English is written and produced by Karen Tolliver.
Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.
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This has been Slow American English.
I'm Karen Toliver. Thank you for listening.
