Designating The Urban Interstates

The urban Interstates proved to be the most difficult to build. They would have been difficult in any event because of the physical challenge of building freeways on new locations in an urban setting. However, they also proved controversial during the construction stage because of their impacts on people--their homes, businesses, and communities.

Today, the urban Interstates are integral parts of our urban landscape, carrying millions of motorists every day, and yet their impacts on our cities remain controversial. "The Genie in the Bottle," published in the September/October 2000 issue of Public Roads, discussed how the Interstate System was intended to solve the urban problems it is now blamed for causing. This new article focuses on how the urban Interstates were selected.