In my opinion, the greatest monument of the United States of America is the interstate highway system. Not many people have the luxury of having 47,000 miles of asphalt laid out strategically connecting every major city in the country. The interstate highway system is the single biggest chunk of infra-structure in the United States. These two facts are stated in the article, “Reinstating the Interstate” from TIME.
“Reinstating the Interstate” explains the ideas that our government has to get America out of the recession and to make a better America. According to the article Barrack Obama has, “made infra-structure sexy,” but sorrowfully it isn’t true. Obama has just made infra-structure a “hot topic.” Obama plans to rebuild all those terrible roads and failing bridges in the United States but he also plans to build high-speed intercity rail lines. TIME is positive of this because his recent stimulus package contained eight billion dollars to develop the rail lines.
The whole point of the article is to explain how the federal government plans to rebuild the interstates by making them even more efficient. Instead of just laying down “fresh asphalt and new guard rails” there are plans for building light rail ways along side the interstates. As the article states, “They've been talking up ways in which the big roads could become the backbone of a larger network of railways and broadband cables and even a new, more efficient electrical power grid.” Apparently the government has even more plans to be able to reinstate the interstate.
Congress authorized the construction of the interstate highway system in 1956, and it was “one of the great can-do enterprises of the post-World War II era, the largest public-works project in history.” This great idea that was successfully completed came along with some consequences that we are seeing now. The interstates paved the way for “America's car culture and the fossil-fuel consumption that goes with it.” The interstates also allowed for the people of America to live far from where they worked which also led to the “suburban sprawl.” The new interstates may not only be accompanied by just a light-rail system but also by a new and more efficient power grid system. The power grid system would allow electric cars and hybrids to recharge while their owner rides the light-rail carts to work. These ideas are being worked on in cooperation with, the Al Gore affiliated, Repowering America. Of course, this would require a great “federal effort that built the interstates.”
The ideas that the government has to reinstate the interstate are great. What other country in the world could have such a thought of producing such an effective and advanced transportation system. Who knew that technology could actually save the environment from destruction and allow a comfortable and easy way of travel at the same time? Maybe technology will not bring about man’s downfall, and we can also say that no other country has the money or the insight to make such a good contribution to the development of the society and the country.
I enjoyed reading this article because it gave me insight into the plans that the government has to better the economy of the United States. It allowed me to learn about the marvels of the United States, and the new technology that will make the United States a greener country. I guess one of the main reasons I enjoyed this article so much is because I love to learn and read about the technological advances the world is making every second. I would truly recommend this reading to anyone who loves technology and infra-structure.
Although I have not previous read this article it sounds like a very interesting and insightful work about the current problems with over-exploitation of fossil fuels. Although I don’t fully understand the effects a new interstate system would have on the economy, I think that the idea of railway system built into the interstate system is one of the best ideas I have heard about the current fossil fuel exploitation. I completely agree with your opinion on how great it is that our country can plan such an extensive and costly project. I think that the article you have read sound interesting and the ideas it concerns are good ones to make the interstate more effective and more conscious of newer times.
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